Plastic debris on ocean surface 100 times lesser than anticipated, finds study

A study conducted by scientists at University of Western Australia's (UWA) Oceans Institute and universities in Saudi Arabia and Spain has found that the amount of plastic on the ocean surface was less than 100 times as expected

CANBERRA (Scrap Monster): A study conducted by scientists at University of Western Australia’s (UWA) Oceans Institute and universities in Saudi Arabia and Spain has found that the amount of plastic on the ocean surface was less than 100 times as expected. The study also notes that the huge gap might be the result of ingestion by sea creatures or disintegration into microscopic particles.

The Malaspina expedition conducted by the Spanish government in 2010 had found that plastic debris was widespread in ocean surfaces. The contamination rate of collected water samples during that time was as high as 88%. The scientists at UWA had considered this data as the base of their study. The test results of nearly 3,000 water samples collected from 141 different points across the world were analyzed.

According to the study, there are between 7,000 and 35,000 tons of plastic floating on the ocean surface now. However, preliminary estimates indicate that the mentioned quantity is many times less than what was expected, when considering the production and input rates. The research notes that the rise in plastic on ocean surface has failed to keep pace with the rapid production increases in recent times.

The research also notes that the biggest gap was in particles smaller than 1 millimeter in diameter, and said that an “unknown mechanism” is removing smaller particles at a faster rate than larger particles.

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