Beyond Words

• Date: 01 September 2016

9-2016 NEWS & ANALYSIS 46 ELR 10729

BEYOND WORDS

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Source: U N E  P & GRID -A , M L  V G 41 (2016), available

at http://apps.unep.org/publications/index.php?option=com_pub&task=download&le=012215_en.

How Much Plastic Is Estimated to Be in the Oceans and Where It May Be

Notes:

1Calculated as 1.4% of all the plastics produced since the 1950s.

From Jang et al., 2015

2Lebreton et al., 2012

3Assuming 66% of the plastic is buoyant. From Jambeck et al., 2015

4From Cózar et al., 2014; Eriksen et al., 2014; van Sebille, 2015

Sources: GRID-Arendal own calculations, each source is indicated in the notes

Coastline and sea f‌loor

29 million tonnes3

Open ocean waters

34 million tonnes

Open ocean

waters

Coastal

ocean waters

Coastline

and sea f‌loor

Floating on the sea surface

0.5%

26.8%

33.7%

39%

Total plastic estimated to have ended up in the sea1

Plastic mass

= 100000 tonnes

Floating plastic, just the tip of the iceberg

86 million tonnes

Coastal ocean waters

23 million tonnes2

Annual input from

maritime activities*

50 000 tonnes/year

*Latest estimates available

are from the 1970s

Floating on the open ocean surface

210000 - 4390004 tonnes

Copyright © 2016 Environmental Law Institute®, Washington, DC. Reprinted with permission from ELR®, http://www.eli.org, 1-800-433-5120.