Ocean plastics

Plastic trash in the oceans is hazardous to marine life — for seabirds or turtles that consume it or other species that become entangled in it.

Consequently, environmentalists for years have warned against the buildup of plastic items in the seas and monitored its accumulation.

Researchers recently have wondered why their study of plastic trash in the Atlantic Ocean has not shown an increase. A 22-year-study has collected thousands of pieces of plastic at more than 6,000 locations. Yet the average amount of plastic in the Atlantic has not increased significantly over time, the journal Science reported.

"We know that global production of plastics has increased substantially over the time period" and disposal also has increased, said Kara Lavender Law of the Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, Mass.

"If there is more plastic trash it's hard to believe more is not making it into the ocean. There is missing plastic out there," she told the Associated Press.

It would be great news to find that the amount of plastics in the oceans had leveled off. But experts seem to think there is another explanation — one that will be important to know.