Geography
The Spatial Distribution of Microplastics in Oceanic Gyres
Quick fact
Microplastics are not uniformly distributed: they accumulate in the center of each major subtropical gyre, with the North Pacific Gyre containing the highest known concentration—up to hundreds of thousands of particles per square kilometer.
Why this is interesting
You've probably heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, but did you know that microplastics are not spread evenly across the ocean? They are concentrated by invisible ocean highways into specific zones.