All the plastics discarded on the planet have formed a new kind of collective presence in the oceans. For now, they appear as a string of giant islands scattered across sea eddies, born from currents and gravity of waste. Seven sizable accumulations have been identified so far.
The junk that composes these islands ranges from soda bottles to countless microplastics, creating a soup of debris that often rides just below the surface, though substantial amounts may rest on the seabed waiting to surface later. The sheer scale of waste is startling, and scientists believe vast layers lie unseen beneath the waves.
A key ecological concern is how this plastic interacts with plankton and other microorganisms that anchor the ocean’s food chain. Tiny creatures ingest fragments, and those plastics eventually travel up the food web, potentially reaching human meals and affecting marine life across ecosystems.
Location of plastic islands
So what are the seven plastic super islands and where are they located?
1. Plastic island in the Sargasso Sea
This is the newest discovery in the past decade, found in the North Atlantic during a Greenpeace expedition that aimed to study another major waste deposit. The range of recognizable debris includes shampoo bottles, fishing gear, hard containers, bags, and more. A 2018 study by the Ocean Cleanup indicated the island might be three times the size of France, far larger than initially imagined.
2. Arctic plastic island
Discovered in the Barents Sea near the Arctic Circle in 2013, it is the smallest of the seven identified islands yet holds a massive amount of plastic. Estimates place the debris at hundreds of billions of pieces, with a significant portion concentrated in a way that accounts for a notable share of global plastic litter. The drift originates from Europe and the eastern seaboard of North America, moving along currents toward northern Norway.
3. Plastic island of the Indian Ocean
While its existence was proposed as early as 1988, confirmation arrived in 2010. The island is variable in density, featuring patches of lighter and heavier waste. On average, it hosts about 10,000 pieces of debris per square kilometer and can extend over thousands of kilometers in diameter depending on current conditions.
Plastic accumulation in the sea
4. Plastic island of the South Atlantic
Stretching over more than a million square kilometers, it travels with the South Atlantic Current between South America and South Africa. Detailed information remains scarce, and it is not a dominant transit point for global shipping lanes. Estimates suggest it could contain hundreds of tons of material—hinting at a substantial but uneven distribution of waste across the region.
5. Plastic island of the North Atlantic
First identified in 1972, this area spans roughly 4 million square kilometers. It is notable for a dense concentration of waste, with estimates around hundreds of thousands of pieces per square kilometer in some zones. Driven by the North Atlantic current, the island stretches across hundreds of kilometers in length.
6. Plastic island in the South Pacific
Located off the coasts of Chile and Peru, this mass is immense—several times larger than Italy, with an approximate surface of 2.6 million square kilometers. It predominantly contains microfragments that have broken down over time and have been shaped by air and water exposure.
Garbage on the beach
7. The Great Pacific Island of Plastic
Situated between California and the Hawaiian archipelago, it drifts with the North Pacific subtropical gyre. It has persisted for more than six decades and is widely regarded as the largest known accumulation. Its true extent remains debated, with estimates ranging from the area of the Iberian Peninsula to the size of a small country, depending on how density is measured.
Its maximum concentration can reach millions of pieces per square kilometer, with total waste estimates often cited from a few to tens of millions of tons. The United Nations Environment Programme notes rapid growth of this mass, driven by continual input, and the seabed beneath may be coated with debris as well. Recent findings show that roughly seven in ten pieces settle on the ocean floor, leaving only a fraction floating at any given moment.
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