Great Lakes Filled With Plastic Bits

November 29, 2012

The world’s largest freshwater ecosystem is added to the list of natural places filled with massive swirls of plastic pollution.

The Great Lakes are swimming with tiny specks of floating plastic, posing threats to both wildlife and human health.

Adding to years of research that have already documented gyres of plastic pieces swirling in the oceans, the new study is the first to officially add the world's largest freshwater ecosystem to the list of natural places affected by plastic pollution.

As scientists continue to investigate how much plastic is out there, where it's coming from and how it's moving between lakes and from lakes to sea, the findings may eventually offer strategies for mitigating the problem.

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