Microplastics fill Monterey Bay, study finds

MONTEREY, California –

It is not easy to see, but they are there. A new study on Thursday revealed how many microplastics are buried in Monterey Bay.

Microplastics are small pieces of plastic, usually less than 5 millimeters. The scientists felt like they were there, but they were surprised to find out just how much. "Honestly, I thought plastics was a surface problem for the ocean," says MBARI's Kakani Katija.

It turns out that the plastic problem is worse than expected. Katija is among the scientists who have explored the amount of these microplastics in Monterey Bay. You may be surprised to learn that this concentration is comparable to the concentration of microplastics on the surface of the Great Pacific Garbage.

Piece. Katija said, "You know, not only are there plastics in the environment, but there are animals that eat them in the environment."

The source of the problem is largely due to the larger pieces of plastic that end up in the ocean. What is more frightening is that the team discovered higher concentrations of microplastics deep in the ocean.

Scientists hope to be able to solve this problem, but they claim that it can only be accomplished if less plastic ends up in the ocean.