Study: Research understates Pacific plastic debris

AP – A study of plastic debris floating in the Pacific between Hawaii and California shows researchers have been sharply understating the amount of trash there, a researcher said Tuesday. Giora Proskurowski, an oceanography faculty scientist with the Sea Education Association, said winds push plastic from the ocean surface down into the upper ocean. This causes researchers collecting debris from the surface to miss a large share of the trash in the water when it’s windy. His group determined this by gathering debris in two nets towed behind a boat. On one day during a light breeze, the surface net gathered 431 pieces of plastic, while another net 16 feet below gathered 240 pieces. Read Article

Tags: oceans & water, pollution & toxins