The Blue Paradox

Each year, the U.S. generates more than 42 million metric tons of plastic waste, almost twice the amount of China, and more than all the countries of the European Union combined. (Earth)

"A 2018 estimate put the patch at 1.8 trillion pieces spread across about 620,000 square miles. Most of the mass was in larger debris, not dust-like specks, which helps explain why offshore capture is even possible. Larger items drift between Hawaii and California, where no shoreline exists to trap them back out of circulation.”

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is home to billions of pieces of plastic waste, with scientists noting it could take 10 years to remove more than 80% of the pollution. Learn more about how researchers are trying to reduce plastic waste in the Pacific➡️

Scientists finally develop a plan to clean up the massive North Pacific Garbage Patch A new plan aims to clean more than 80% of the North Pacific Garbage Patch - the ocean's largest floating plastic garbage patch.

Plastic pollutions doesn’t just stay in the ocean. Shorelines often absorb the impact, putting coastal habitats, local economies, and cleanup resources under pressure.

We need stronger plastic waste management systems and upstream intervention before plastic pollution can further damage marine environments.

As NASA’s innovation continues to push the boundaries of space exploration, it’s also helping address challenges here on Earth.

Scientists are developing ways to detect plastic pollution from space, giving us a clearer picture of where it gathers and how to prevent more waste.
Learn more about NASA’s EMIT instrument and how it’s fighting the plastic waste crisis.

Tracking plastic pollution from space A NASA mission designed to study dust is now helping scientists track plastic pollution, from space. Climatologist Marina Jurica explains how JPL is tackling this problem 250 miles from us.

The plastic waste crisis not only impacts our oceans and marine life, but also our economies.

Plastic pollution impacts industries like tourism and fishing, costing billions yearly in waste management and human health impacts. (NCEL)

"A crewed submarine descended more than 5,000 meters to the floor of the Mediterranean Sea’s deepest trench. What it found there — plastic bags, glass, metal, rubbish dumped overboard from boats — puts a hard number on a problem most people never see. The waste that vanishes from coastlines and shipping lanes doesn’t vanish at all. It collects in the dark.”

Go beyond the surface and learn more about plastic waste in the depths of our planet’s waters ➡️

Scientists Dove to the Deepest Part of the Mediterranean Sea. What They Found Was Unsettling The Calypso Deep holds one of the highest concentrations of deep-sea litter ever recorded on Earth.

Each year, upwards of 33 billion pounds of plastic waste enter the ocean, worsening a crisis that marine life can no longer absorb.

Addressing plastic’s overuse and poor disposal will require urgent collective action and a rethinking of how we produce, use and manage plastic. (Sailors for the Sea)

“Approximately 4-12 million metric tonnes [4.4-13.2 million tons] of plastic waste enters oceans annually, causing widespread harm. The study notes that Nicobar Islands are particularly vulnerable to marine debris because they are located near the Malacca Strait, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.”

Plastic pollution can impact even the most remote areas, causing harm to local ecosystems and marine life. Read the full article to learn more ➡️

Marine litter traps thousands of hermit crabs If you stand on the soft silver sand on the aquamarine beaches of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, you can often see plastic waste washed ashore. When you bend down and look closely, you might find a tiny crab trapped inside a bottle. You might try to rescue the crab by shaking it loose, but […]

Plastic waste doesn’t start in the ocean.

Rivers serve as the primary source of plastic waste in our oceans, and only 1% of rivers globally contribute to over 80% of riverine pollution. (The Ocean Cleanup)

“On the plastic [in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch], scientists found more than just adult hitchhikers. There were reproductive structures on hydroids and brooding females in several crustacean species, along with multiple size classes of anemones and other invertebrates on the same object. That pattern suggests babies are being produced and settling right back onto these plastic rafts, generation after generation.”

There’s more than just plastic debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. When plastic travels from the coast, it can carry with it or pick up organisms along the way. Learn more about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch ➡️

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is becoming a floating continent populated by marine creatures Great Pacific Garbage Patch turns into a “floating continent” as marine creatures colonize plastic and drift across the ocean.