New science has taken a deep dive into plastic waste, providing the first estimate of how much ends up on the sea floor.
New science has taken a deep dive into plastic waste, providing the first estimate of how much ends up on the sea floor.
New research from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and the University of Toronto in Canada, estimates up to 11 million tonnes of plastic pollution is sitting on the ocean floor.
Every minute, a garbage truck’s worth of plastic enters the ocean. With plastic use expected to double by 2040, understanding how and where it travels is crucial to protecting marine ecosystems and wildlife.
Dr Denise Hardesty, Senior Research Scientist with CSIRO, said this is the first estimate of how much plastic waste ends up on the ocean floor, where it accumulates before being broken down into smaller pieces and mixed into ocean sediment.
Read more at CSIRO Australia
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