http://www.worldpolicy.org/blog/2014/09/11/oceans-plastic-problem

The Ocean's Plastic Problem

September 11, 2014 - 9:00am

By Cami Tellez

In her recent excursion to the Arctic, Dr. Rachel Obbard, assistant
professor at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College,
noted an accumulation of plastic debris in the Arctic Ocean. A
specialist in polar ice, Obbard was concerned about the volume of
micro-plastic inside the ice of perhaps one of the most pristine areas
of the planet.

Most people are aware of the dangers of wildlife being caught in debris
near land, but Obbard has determined the rippling effects that our
?plastic footprint? has had in even the most remote areas of the world.

The use of plastic has increased dramatically over the past ten years.
During that same ten year period, scientists who study ocean currents
began to notice a similar and disturbing phenomena; the five major
oceans act as whirling conveyor belts, carrying plastic debris, often
invisible to the naked eye, into every main current of the ocean. Since
this micro-plastic cannot be detected, it is almost impossible to
quantify and record. Most of this micro-plastic ends up frozen when
submerged in Arctic waters.