Where has all the plastic gone? For the first time, oceanographers have quantified the floating plastic debris in the Atlantic Ocean and have come to a surprising conclusion.
The amount of plastic hasn't changed in two decades despite a sharp increase in plastic production and trash, according to a recent report published in Science.
The researchers surmise that either people aren't dumping trash in the water or the plastic, weighed down by bacteria and other organisms, could be dropping to lower ocean depths. Another possibility: plankton or fish could be eating the plastic and its chemicals.
"I think it's certain that the plastic is breaking down into pieces smaller than what we capture in the net," co-author Kara Lavender Law, an oceanographer with the Sea Education Association (SEA) at Woods Hole, Mass., told LiveScience, an online news source.
Students and scientists on research sailing trips led by SEA in Woods Hole, Mass., have been catching and counting tiny (a third of a millimeter or less) plastic pieces in plankton nets since 1986. They've found plastic in more than 60% of 6136 tows over 22 years.
"What we're collecting are really small fragments of plastic from larger consumer items," Lavender Law told LiveScience. "If you're on the deck of a ship, you normally can't even see the plastic pieces."
Lavender Law said the affected area in the Atlantic Ocean could rival that of the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" off California but said both regions remain poorly defined.
Researchers found that the plastic consists mostly of polyethylene and polypropylene, chemicals used to make things such as grocery bags.
Wendy Koch has been a reporter and editor at USA TODAY since 1998, covering politics and social issues. She's begun a quest to build the most eco-friendly home her budget allows. She'll share her experience and give you tips for greening your home. More about Wendy