Transport of microplastics in the North Atlantic

Simulated models of how plastics are transported in the global ocean show that most plastics concentrate in the middle of subtropical gyres (left) However, large-scale ocean circulation systems such as the Gulf Stream, the North Atlantic Current, and the Norwegian Current are carrying the litter all the way up to the Arctic (right) WHOI scientists have launched a long-term, interdisciplinary research initiative to better understand where microplasticsplastic fragments smaller than five millimetersend up in the global ocean. (Illustration by Sam Levang, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)