Six-decade plankton study charts rise of ocean plastic waste

Handwritten journals from 50s show how plastic problem has grown to global emergencyA trove of data showing when the Atlantic began choking with plastic has been uncovered in the handwritten logbooks of a little-known but doggedly persistent plankton study dating back to the middle of the last century.From fishing twine found in the ocean in the 50s, then a first carrier bag in 1965, it reflects how the marine refuse problem grew from small, largely ignored incidents to become a matter of global concern. Continue reading...