The global water bodies polluted due to plastic waste is one of the greatest environmental problems of our time. However, very little is known about the amount of plastic found in the ocean around the world. Models based on ocean currents so far suggest that plastic mainly accumulates in large ocean eddies. Now, in a study, which has just been published in the journal's Environmental Research Letters, researchers at the University of Bern have calculated the worldwide distribution of plastic waste, taking into account the fact that plastic can become stranded, calculated that most of the plastic does not end up in the open sea. Much of the plastic remains close to the coast or ends up on the beaches. In Victor Onink, first author of the study claims that, around 80% of floating plastic after five years of entering the ocean is removed but not farther than 10 kilometers from the coast. ,. Much of this plastic also reaches the banks. The study authors conclude that between a third and virtually all of the floating plastic that ends up in the ocean is stranded, with serious environmental consequences as coastal ecosystems are particularly sensitive to plastic pollution. They are also drastically losing value for tourism.
Braided plastic content is highest in regions of the world with the largest sources of plastic waste, including areas such as Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean Sea, while concentrations are found in sparsely populated regions such as the Polar Regions, the coast of Chile. Victor Onink said that, there are many reasons why there is so much plastic waste in the Mediterranean Sea. One of the reasons is that a lot of plastic that ends up in the sea especially through the Nile is relatively small and closed. These factors also contribute to the high plastic concentration.
