Leading research by the CSIRO, in collaboration with the University of Toronto, has uncovered insights into the accumulation of plastic waste on the ocean floor – with estimates of up to 11 million tonnes of plastic pollution residing in these deep-sea reservoirs.
The study was based on data from remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and reveals how plastic is converging in our ocean depths—with a staggering forty-six per cent of this plastic pollution clustered in waters of less than 200 metres in depth situated around the major continents.
Highlighting the benefits of stormwater assets to capture pollutants in our urban catchments – this plastic pollution is a vast assortment of cups, bottles, plastic consumables, and microplastics, representing our growing global plastic footprint.
The study shows large amounts of plastic pollution sinking in marine environments and how the ocean floor is becoming a permanent resting place for plastic waste – with plastics fragmenting into microplastics over degradation cycles of 500-1000 years and settling in ocean floor sediment.
Below the Surface of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is an accumulation of plastics and marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean and is a well-documented result of oceanic plastic pollution.
This area is 1,600,000 square kilometres, equivalent to the size of Queensland or three times the size of France. Studies have shown the combined weight of plastic pollution inside the GPGP is estimated at 79,000 tonnes, which is overshadowed by the 3 to 11 million tonnes of submerged plastic revealed by the new study.
With the CSIRO’s groundbreaking research showing the environmental outcomes beneath the surface, comprehensive strategies are necessary for our communities, governments and cities to support sustainable development and prevent plastic pollution from reaching our marine environments.
Enhancing stormwater management plans to prevent the conveyance of plastic pollution is a valuable intervention that seeks to curb the impacts of plastic pollution at the source – our urban catchments. The CSIRO’s study sheds light on the importance of our stormwater network and the global, multifaceted approach needed to create a cleaner water future to protect our oceans and seas from plastic pollution.
Learn more about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in our video below!
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