Litter hotspots were associated with socioeconomic factors such as a concentration of built infrastructure, less national wealth and the level of lighting at night.
Plastic fragments washed onto Schiavonea beach in Calabria, Italy, in a 2019 storm.
Alfonso Di Vincenzo/KONTROLAB /LightRocket via Getty Images
Seabirds journey vast distances across the Earth’s seascapes to find food and to breed. This means their biology, particularly their breeding success, can reveal what’s happening in our oceans.
A Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California.
AP Photo/Paul Sakuma
The grisly discovery of a disembodied foot on a NSW beach was a tragic twist in the mystery of missing woman Melissa Caddick. Such tragedies can also reveal hidden currents connecting the planet.
Increasing plastic pollution in southern hemisphere oceans adds a deadly threat to albatrosses, already among the world’s most imperiled seabirds with 73% of species threatened with extinction.
A biologist examines microplastics found in sea species at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research in Greece, Nov. 26, 2019.
Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP via Getty Images
As more and more plastic trash permeates the oceans, fragments are making their way into fish and shellfish – and potentially into humans.
Scientists have found widespread evidence of microplastics in the Arctic Ocean. This could further stress the fragile Arctic ecosystem and the food it provides to people living there.
(Shutterstock)
Microplastic pollution is a global issue, but where do they come from and how are they transported across the ocean? A new study finds polyester microfibres are common throughout the Arctic Ocean.
The Pacific Ocean produces oxygen, helps regulates the weather, provides food and livelihoods. It’s a place of fun, solace and spiritual connection. But its delicate ecology is under threat.
Life-cycle assessments of food packaging often omit the impact and possible toxicity of plastics leaking into the environment. Excluding these factors gives plastics an unjustified advantage.