title: Plastic pollution in the South Pacific subtropical gyre.
abstract: Plastic marine pollution in the open ocean of the southern hemisphere is largely undocumented. Here, we report the result of a (4489 km) 2424 nautical mile transect through the South Pacific subtropical gyre, carried out in March-April 2011. Neuston samples were collected at 48 sites, averaging 50 nautical miles apart, using a manta trawl lined with a 333 μm mesh. The transect bisected a predicted accumulation zone associated with the convergence of surface currents, driven by local winds. The results show an increase in surface abundance of plastic pollution as we neared the center and decrease as we moved away, verifying the presence of a garbage patch. The average abundance and mass was 26,898 particles km(-2) and 70.96 g km(-2), respectively. 88.8% of the plastic pollution was found in the middle third of the samples with the highest value of 396,342 particles km(-2) occurring near the center of the predicted accumulation zone.
authors: 5 Gyres Institute, 2122 S. Spaulding Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90016, USA. marcus@5gyres.org
authors: Marcus
authors: M
authors: Eriksen
authors: Nikolai
authors: N
authors: Maximenko
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Thiel
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Cummins
authors: Gwen
authors: G
authors: Lattin
authors: Stiv
authors: S
authors: Wilson
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Hafner
authors: Ann
authors: A
authors: Zellers
authors: Samuel
authors: S
authors: Rifman
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D010969:Plastics / Q000032:analysis*; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014866:Waste Products / Q000032:analysis* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014872:Water Movements; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D010969:Plastics; D014866:Waste Products; D014873:Water Pollutants