Plastic in the depths: how pollution took over our oceans

So much plastic pours into the sea every year that species are now endemic to it. A new Guardian series looks at where it comes from, the harm it does and what can be done about it.By now, it is well known that the oceans swirl with plastic. More than 8m tonnes pour into the seas every year, spewed out via rivers, dumped along coastlines or abandoned by fishing vessels. Plastic even contaminates ocean air, where particles are kicked up by spray and then blown about the planet by the wind. In many places on Earth, it is literally raining - and snowing - plastic.While most images of ocean pollution show plastic bottles bobbing on the surface or straws being yanked from turtles' noses, these are misleading: bottles and straws make up only a fraction of the total. Continue reading...