Simulation of ocean plastics in 1976 in North and South America (VIDEO)
Caption
This simulation shows the emission and subsequent transport and breakdown of ocean plastics in the year 1976 in parts of North and South America. Blue circles are plastics washed into the oceans by rivers; purple circles are plastic waste emitted by fisheries; and yellow circles are microplastics formed through fragmentation. The average duration for fragmentation into microplastics is set as 3 years. Based on these and other simulations, a new study led by Kyushu University estimates that nearly 5% of mismanaged plastic waste has made its way into our oceans and two-thirds of that cannot be monitored with current methods.
Credit
Atsuhiko Isobe and Shinsuke Iwasaki
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Only for media and non-commercial use.
License
Original content