Marine Litter and Plastic Islands

• There are eight known plastic islands in the ocean, despite only five being commonly discussed

Marine Litter

• Marine litter is a major global challenge, with waste accumulating in seas and oceans due to poor waste management
• 80% of marine litter originates from land, while 20% comes from marine sources
• Approximately 80% of marine litter is plastic
• Over 8 million tons of plastic enter the oceans annually, largely via rivers
• Ocean currents and gyres cause plastics to accumulate in specific areas, forming "islands" of high waste concentrations
• These islands are not solid or walkable and are in constant motion

Arctic Island

• Located in the Greenland and Barents Seas
• Waste is believed to originate from Europe and North America
• The Gulf of Mexico stream carries waste to these seas, which act as a "dead end"

Mediterranean Island

• Situated off the Italian island of Elba
• Has an approximate area of 900 square kilometers
• Estimated to contain 3.5 million metric tons of plastic
• Limited research is available on this island

Caribbean Island

• Located off the coasts of Belize and the island of Youth
• Minimal information is available
• Size fluctuates with cyclonic seasons, with waste potentially redirected to the North Atlantic island

Island of the Indian Ocean

• Found in the Indian Ocean gyre, a remote location hindering research
• Estimated size is approximately 2.1 million square kilometers, equivalent to the size of Greenland

South Atlantic Island

• Located in the South Atlantic gyre
• Estimated area of 715,000 square kilometers
• Estimated 40,000 pieces of plastic per square kilometer
• Contains approximately 2,860 tons of plastic, equivalent to the weight of 15 Boeing 747 airplanes

North Atlantic Island

• The first marine litter island to be discovered
• Located in the North Atlantic gyre
• Extends from the equator to North America, Europe, and Africa
• Exact measurements are unknown
• Estimated 7,220 pieces of plastic per square kilometer
• Floating debris can reach the accumulation zone from the North American coast in less than 60 days

South Pacific Island

• Occupies an area of 1.6 million square kilometers, roughly the size of Mexico
• Estimated 390,000 particles per square mile

North Pacific Island

• Known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the largest concentration of plastic in the ocean
• Located about 1,000 kilometers from Hawaii
• Occupies an area of approximately 1.6 million square kilometers, about three times the size of France
• Estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic distributed within a 10-meter layer
• Approximate weight of 80,000 tons, equivalent to 500 jumbo jets
• Plastics degrade into microplastics due to sun exposure, exacerbating pollution

Research on the North Pacific Island

• Recent research shows 99.9% of the waste is plastic, with 46% being fishing nets
• Over three-quarters of the waste consists of plastic fragments larger than 5 centimeters
• 94% of the waste consists of microplastics by object count
• Most waste is fragmented
• Analyzed plastic objects had manufacturing dates ranging from 1977 to the 2010s

Consequences of Plastic Pollution

• Marine litter has significant impacts across various aspects, which will be discussed in a later video

Marine litter poses a critical global challenge, accumulating in oceans due to waste mismanagement, with 80% originating from land. Plastics constitute 80% of this litter, with over 8 million tons entering oceans annually via rivers. Currents form 'islands' of waste, including one in the Arctic and another in the Mediterranean.