Data covering the marine environment, including fisheries, coral reef  health, ocean chemistry, and coastal zones.

oceans-seas-coasts

Oceans, Seas, & Coasts

### Overview  
  
The dataset represents the count (pieces per square kilometer) and weight (grams per square kilometer) densities of plastic particles floating in the ocean. The data was created from an oceanographic model of floating debris dispersal and calibrated using data from surveys done during 24 expeditions conducted from 2007-2013. The results have been adjusted for a variety of factors like particle fragmentation and wind driven mixing of water. The data is presented in four particle size categories ranging from 0.33 millimeters to >200 millimeters. The final results are shown in raster format at a spatial resolution of 20 kilometers. 
  
  

Plastic pollution is globally distributed across all oceans and is regarded as a major health issue for marine and human life. As plastic degrades it forms microplastics that are often consumed by marine fauna, slowly working up the food chain. In addition, floating plastics can move across oceans and transport species to non-native regions. 
  
  

This study was conducted to help countries understand their impacts on the ocean and to be used in implementing plastic waste reduction policies. It was authored by researchers from a variety of organizations and funded by an array of environmental and educational groups. The data has global coverage and is available at a spatial resolution of 0.2° or about 20 kilometers.  
  
### Methodology  
  
To gather the mass and count of the ocean’s plastics, the researchers conducted 24 expeditions (2007–2013) across all five subtropical gyres, coastal Australia, Bay of Bengal, and the Mediterranean Sea. During these expeditions 680 surface net tows and 891 visual survey transects of large plastic debris were conducted. Surface net tows were done using a mesh size of 0.33 millimeters towed at 0.5 to 2 meters below the ocean surface for 15 to 60 minutes. Visual surveys were carried out using dedicated observers viewing 20 meter sections next to the boat noting large floating debris. Debris observations were broken into nine categories, four categories for fishing-related debris: buoy, line, net, and other fishing gear, and five categories for other plastics: bucket, bottle, foamed polystyrene, bag/film, or miscellaneous plastics. All 1,571 mesh and visual surveys included data on plastic counts and 1,333 of them also included data on debris weight.
  
  

The data was used to create debris estimates and calibrate an oceanographic model based on water movement to show the dispersal of floating debris. The model used to describe oceanic currents was the US Navy’s Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM). This was combined with a Lagrangian particle-tracking model Pol3DD to mimic how plastic particles move through the ocean. The model assumes that amounts of plastic entering the ocean depends on three principal variables: watershed outfalls, population density, and maritime activity. The results were adjusted to compensate for wind driven mixing of the surface layer that forces plastic particles below the surface. Additionally, conservative estimates for particle fragmentation rates were used when determining particle count. Through this methodology, estimated values were generated for the count and weight of ocean plastic in four size classes: 0.33-1.0 millimeters, 1.01-4.75 millimeters, 4.76-200 millimeters, and >200 millimeters.
  
  

For full documentation, please see the source [methodology](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0111913).  
  
### Additional Information  
  
Resource Watch shows only a subset of the dataset. For access to the full dataset and additional information, click on the “Learn more” button.  
  
### Visualizing the Data  
  
Our team reformatted this dataset before displaying it on Resource Watch. See the documentation on how Resource Watch processed the data on [Github](https://github.com/resource-watch/data-pre-processing/tree/master/ocn_016_rw0_ocean_plastics).  
  
### Disclaimer  
  
Excerpts of this description page were taken from the source metadata.

Algalita Marine Research and Education (Algalita)

Institut français de recherche pour l′exploitation de la mer (Ifremer)

Modelled count and mass concentrations of plastic debris in the global ocean

ocn-016-ocean-plastic-distribution-rw

ocean-watch

Ocean Watch

2013 Ocean Plastic Distribution: Count of 0.33 - 1.00 millimeter sized particles (pieces/kilometer²)

2013 Ocean Plastic Distribution: Density of >200 millimeter sized particles (grams/kilometer²)

2013 Ocean Plastic Distribution: Density of 4.76–200 millimeter sized particles (grams/kilometer²)

2013 Ocean Plastic Distribution: Density of 0.33 - 1.00 millimeter sized particles (grams/kilometer²)

2013 Ocean Plastic Distribution: Count of >200 millimeter sized particles (pieces/kilometer²)

2013 Ocean Plastic Distribution: Count of 4.76–200 millimeter sized particles (pieces/kilometer²)

2013 Ocean Plastic Distribution: Count of 1.01–4.75 millimeter sized particles (pieces/kilometer²)

2013 Ocean Plastic Distribution: Density of 1.01–4.75 millimeter sized particles (grams/kilometer²)

Count and weight of plastic pollution floating in the world’s oceans for 2007-2013