Researchers have long known that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch the giant accumulation of plastic waste in the North Pacific Ocean is home to a variety of sea life. However, they had assumed they were all open ocean inhabitants. Now, a new study has found that it also harbors a surprisingly large number of coastal marine species. They include crabs, sea anemones, and worms.
A study of plastic trash hauled out of the Pacific Ocean found that most of it had been colonized by coastal life that was thriving right next to species that normally live in the open sea.
A study of plastic trash hauled out of the Pacific Ocean found that most of it had been colonized by coastal life that was thriving right next to species that normally live in the open sea.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, containing over 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic and estimated to be 1.6 million square kilometres, is an ecological disaster. A new study, however, shows that this giant collection of plastic trash has also become home to thousands of marine life, creating a new kind of ecosystem