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Summary
This brief summary describes a study mapping at least 21,000 metric tons of microplastic floating in the eastern Pacific Ocean, based on 40 years of sampling data, but notes that despite increased plastic production over recent decades, no increase in surface plastic concentrations was detected. The authors suggest the data are insufficient to capture long-term trends, or that plastics are disappearing into less sampled parts of the ocean.
Oceanography Vast swaths of floating plastic debris in a northern Pacific Ocean region have earned it a grim nickname: the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. But how much plastic really floats in the Pacific? Different research teams use different methodologies, and coverage is often patchy, making data notoriously difficult to obtain and compare. Using data spanning over 40 years, Law et al. report maps of plastic debris concentrations in the Eastern Pacific and estimate that at least 21,000 metric tons of microplastic are floating in the region. However, despite increased plastic production over the past decade, they could not detect an increase in plastic debris over time. Data coverage may be insufficient for capturing such trends. Environ. Sci. Technol. 10.1021 es4053076 (2014).