Title: Quantification of plastic pollution on global coastlines
Abstract: It is estimated that 300 million metric tonnes (MMT) of plastic are produced annually and that 4 to 12 MMT of this plastic enter the ocean every year. Although we have estimates of how much plastic enters the ocean, the fate of this plastic is unclear. The mass of plastic pollution on the ocean surface only accounts for 1% of annual inputs, so the remaining 99% of plastic mass in the ocean is “missing”. Coastlines are suspected to contain a large portion of this …
