02/13/2015

The World’s Oceans Are Overflowing With Plastics Pollution

8:02 minutes

Reporting in a new study in Science this week, researchers examined how waste management practices worldwide could be contributing to marine plastics pollution. They found that 4.8-12.7 million metric tons of plastic may have leaked into the ocean in 2010. Oceanographer Kara Lavender Law discusses how plastics make it from land out to sea, and what this might mean for the future of the oceans.

Segment Guests

Kara Lavender Law

Kara Lavender Law is a research professor of oceanography at the Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

Meet the Producer

About Alexa Lim

Alexa Lim was a senior producer for Science Friday. Her favorite stories involve space, sound, and strange animal discoveries.

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