Have you heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? It's a gyre of plastic debris in the north-central Pacific Ocean — the largest accumulation of plastic in the world. In fact, the oceans are so overwhelmed with plastic pollution that if the Great Pacific garbage patch were a country, it would be the 19th largest in the world. Check out our interactive map to see how it measures up to other places for yourself: https://biodiv.us/3SMFWSs | Center for Biological Diversity

Once described as the most polluted ocean zone on Earth, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now supporting entire ecosystems. Researchers have confirmed that dozens of marine species are living on floating plastic debris. These include mussels, barnacles, shrimp-like amphipods, and other coastal organisms that normally live near shorelines. Plastic waste acts as a floating habitat. It allows coastal species to survive and reproduce far from land, something rarely possible before widespread plast