Microplastics may be changing the colour of the Pacific Ocean

New Scientist · James Woodford · 2026-11-05 16:00 UTC

Satellites show that the ocean around a gyre of plastic detritus in the Pacific is brightening and changing colour, with the most likely explanation being microplastics suspended in the water column

Fishing nets make up a large part of the debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The sea around the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is changing colour, and microplastics may be to blame.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), located roughly midway between Hawaii and California, covers around 1.6 million square kilometres and is thought to contain nearly 80,000 tonnes of plastic debris, carried there by ocean currents.

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