Great Pacific Garbage Patch may be turning Ocean cyan, study finds
Satellite data over two decades shows brightening in blue and green wavelengths consistent with microplastics
Researchers from the University of Bergen say microplastics in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a vast accumulation of plastic in the North Pacific Ocean, may be responsible for a subtle shift in ocean color, a cyan tint detected in satellite observations from 2002 to 2022. The study, published in Communications Earth & Environment, suggests the optical effect may occur at microplastic concentrations potentially already present in the patch, but says further sampling is needed to establish whether microplastics are responsible.