New study estimates there is at least ten times more plastic in the Atlantic than previously thought

Posted: 19 August 2020

NOC ‘The mass of ‘invisible’ microplastics found in the upper waters of the Atlantic Ocean is approximately 12–21 million tonnes, according to research published in the journal Nature Communications.

Significantly, this figure is only for three of the most common types of plastic litter in a limited size range. Yet, it is comparable in magnitude to estimates of all plastic waste that has entered the Atlantic Ocean over the past 65 years: 17 million tonnes. This suggests that the supply of plastic to the ocean have been substantially underestimated.

The lead author of the paper, Dr Katsiaryna Pabortsava from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), said “Previously, we couldn’t balance the mass of floating plastic we observed with the mass we thought had entered the ocean since 1950. This is because earlier studies hadn’t been measuring the concentrations of ‘invisible’ microplastic particles beneath the ocean surface. Our research is the first to have done this across the entire Atlantic, from the UK to the Falklands.       Click here to access the paper.

This week, an All-Party Parliamentary Group tasked with tackling the issue of microplastics, released its first report recommending to the government that all washing machines should be fitted with microfibre filters.

We’re delighted that our research, and our supporters’ voices, have contributed to this vital step to stop trillions of plastic fibres polluting our ocean every week.

We’ve been campaigning for years to raise awareness of the damaging effect microfibres have on our environment. Thanks to the help of our supporters who signed the #StopOceanThreads petition, the message is finally getting through.

We were pleased to be able to advise the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on marine conservation issues and celebrate the launch of their first microplastics report, which will influence government decisions.