Ocean Trash: 5.25 Trillion Pieces and Counting, but Big Questions Remain
Contributed By
National Geographic
Ocean Trash: 5.25 Trillion Pieces and Counting, but Big Questions Remain
Big questions remain. The numbers add up to trouble for the oceans, wildlife, and us, but scientists are struggling to understand how. The numbers are staggering: There are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean. Of that mass, 269,000 tons float on the surface, while some four billion plastic microfibers per square kilometer litter the deep sea.