Melting ice sheets release 1 trillion tiny plastics into oceans

June 19, 2014- Coastal towns may be in trouble as polar ice sheets thaw and sea levels rise, but in a new study published in the journal Earth’s Future, researchers say that Artic ice contains large amounts of plastic and man-made synthetic materials that are smaller than the top of a pencil.

Over the next decade, more than 1 trillion tiny plastic pieces -- "microplastics" -- could be released into nearby waters, the study notes.

Scientists know that oceans are filled with garbage patches, but researchers said they were shocked to learn just how far the litter had reached.

The tiny pieces of plastic come from cosmetics (microbeads) and fibers in laundry machines washing down drains. However, the most substantial amount of microplastic appears to derive from the fragmentation of larger synthetic materials.

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