Hundreds of Trillions: Plastic Piles up in Ocean

The concentration of plastic pieces in the ocean has risen from 16 trillion pieces in 2005, to the current estimate of 171 trillion pieces in a new study, data suggests.

Ocean plastics are responsible for killing fish and sea animals due to the fact that they take hundreds of years to break down into less harmful materials. It is estimated by Condor Ferries that around 100 million marine species die every year from plastic poisoning in the ocean. Scientists warn if no action is taken, the concentration of these plastics could triple by 2040

However, last week a historic UN high seas treaty was signed, for the protection of 30% of oceans known as The High Seas. This estimate was made by a group of scientists who analysed records of plastic in the oceans since 1979, and added data from expedition that have voyaged the seas with nets collecting these plastics. The plastic concentration found in the nets is added to a larger model to produce a global estimate.

‘The estimate on this plastic is made up of both recently and older, broken-down pieces of plastic’, says lead author Marcus Eriksen. Single-use plastics such as drinking bottles or packaging are broken down over time into smaller microplastics by sunlight or mechanical degradation. However, marine animals such as whales, turtles and fish occasionally mistake plastic for food, leading them to often die of starvation, due to not being able to digest the plastic that fills their stomach.

This plastic can also enter human drinking water. Studies have shown microplastics in the lungs and placenta. However, scientists do not know enough about the effect of these plastics on humans. The highest concentration of plastic currently is found in the Mediterranean Sea. Some large floating masses such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch also exist.

In November 2022, thousands of pieces of plastic debris from all over the world were found on a South Atlantic Island – Ascension Island. This put 900 species of marine life at risk, conservationists reported. At Plymouth University, Professor Richard Thompson added that the estimate contributed to what scientists already knew about marine pollution. “We are all agreed there is too much plastic in the ocean. We urgently need to move to solutions-focused research.”