The Caribbean is renowned globally for its stunning beaches and crystal clear ocean.
However, its islands and the surrounding sea are being contaminated by plastics and other manmade fibres, posing a potential future threat to its diverse marine life and the tourism industry on which its economy depends.
That is according to a new study, the first holistic assessment of marine and land-based plastic pollution in the southern Caribbean and some of the environmental and human factors which might influence its distribution.
The study is the result of sample analysis from a pioneering all-female Round the World sailing mission led by eXXpedition. Samples were collected in late 2019 from the seas and seafloor, and from land-based assessments.
Mystery of loud explosions that woke Plymouth solved
City disturbed by another bout of loud bangs from a military exercise weeks after similar manoeuvres shook buildings near the Sound
Updated
Royal Marines from Juliet Company of Plymouth-based 42 Commando hone their skills to ensure they are ready for combat during ship-boarding missions. (Image: Royal Navy)
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Loud bangs wake up Plymouth in early hours - latest updates There were around two to three bangs which sounded like gun shots or bombs
Updated
The view from Plymouth Hoe Webcam at 1.20am this morning (Image: Marine Biological Association)
Loud bangs - described as sounding like explosions or gun shots - have woken up residents across Plymouth in the early hours of this morning.
The boom reportedly shook houses on the Hoe at around midnight.
On Twitter, residents in Hooe, Stoke and Efford reported hearing a bang. And Plymouth Live has received multiple messages about the noise. One concerned resident said: There were around two to three bangs which sounded like gun shots or bombs.