<h1>About 18.2 million tons sink to the ocean floor.</h1>

<p>Every year, an astonishing 260 million tons of plastic waste is produced, and about 10% of it ends up in the ocean. Over time, roughly 70% of the plastic that ends up in the ocean sinks to the ocean floor.</p>

<p>Therefore 18.2 million tons of plastic waste end up on the ocean floor.</p>

<p>I used <a href="http://plastic-pollution.org/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this article</a> for my numbers.</p>

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2018-02-12T14:27:40.150Z
Please provide some references for your numbers.
daniel.heydebreck
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2018-02-12T14:29:16.877Z
I used [this article](http://plastic-pollution.org/) for my numbers.
Eevee
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2018-02-12T14:59:40.333Z
Edit your source into the question. People don't always read the comments. Also, the heavy use of bold text is unnecessary and doesn't look particularly great in my opinion.
bon
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2018-02-12T15:04:52.593Z
Also, your figures don't seem to match the article you linked. They claim that 8 million tons per year (2015 estimate) make it into the ocean out of the 299 million tons produced (2013 estimate).
bon
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2018-02-12T15:07:16.610Z
Did you read the entire article? I only picked out the accurate information from the latest research.
Eevee
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2018-02-12T15:10:08.777Z
I skimmed the first few paragraphs where most of the numbers seemed to be. Where did you get your numbers from?
bon
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2018-02-12T15:13:14.490Z
@bon I originally searched "how much plastic sinks to the ocean floor annually?" on google, and I read the summary google provided for the **second link,** named "Plastic Pollution". I thought I'd need to provide an actual link rather than a google search, so I copy-pasted the link into my post.
Eevee
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-12T15:14:15.507Z
@bon It stated the following:  "Of the 260 million tons of plastic the world produces each year, about 10 percent ends up in the Ocean, according to a Greenpeace report (Plastic Debris in the World's Oceans, 2006). Seventy percent of the mass eventually sinks, damaging life on the seabed. The rest floats in open seas, often ending up in gyres, circular ..."
Eevee
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2018-02-12T15:22:36.660Z
There are more recent figures than that elsewhere in the report.
bon
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2018-02-12T15:29:50.693Z
@Imtherealsanic please read my comments to your question ["How do I answer a question correctly?"](https://earthscience.meta.stackexchange.com/q/1610/5594). Google and web pages of NGOs (depending on the NGO! some are really good) do not necessarily provide the correct and up-to-date data.
daniel.heydebreck
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2018-02-27T02:51:29.720Z
Imtherealsanic: Unrelated to this (but nowhere else I can post it, and noticed it was an issue here as well): When you respond to someone's comment, you need to add @username to notify the user you're responding to (unless it was their answer you're posting on).  Otherwise there's a good chance they won't see your comment.
JeopardyTempest
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2018-02-27T02:53:44.470Z
@JeopardyTempest I know. Those comments were not directed at anyone in particular. As you can see above, I have used the @ username tactic for bon twice.
Eevee
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2018-02-27T03:14:49.607Z
Whoops, indeed, saw the past couple posts seemingly directed at daniel.  And was caused by your responses on the salty river answer you gave.  Always a good idea to @, even if only partially directed at a single person.
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-12T14:26:31.717Z
2018-02-12T15:06:37.870Z
2018-02-12T15:06:37.870Z
Eevee
<p><a href="http://www.popsci.com/researchers-find-just-how-much-plastic-were-putting-ocean" rel="noreferrer">This article</a> says that 5 to 13 million metric tons of plastic go into the ocean every year.  In the study <a href="http://www.teammarine.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Plastic-Buoyancy-Research_Press-Release_TM-09-101.pdf" rel="noreferrer">At what point do floating plastics sink?</a>, they give an estimate of the weight needed to sink plastics.  They reference the paper <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.460.4340&amp;rep=rep1&amp;type=pdf" rel="noreferrer">Assessing marine debris in deep seafloor habitats off California</a>, which assesses the amount of plastic debris that has settled to the bottom of the ocean off the coast of California.  Given this information as a starting point... How much plastic settles to the bottom of the oceans each year?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-11T11:22:56.927Z
To answer this properly, we need to know how much plastic enters the oceans each year. Probably the largest proportion of it settles to the sea floor at one point of time. If we are (are we?) in situation with a steady state of plastic amount in the water column, the amount of sinking plastic should be also in the steady state. I think (personal feeling; worked a bit in this field four years ago) beaching, degradation and eating by animals together amount for less than the sinking. Therefore, I would expect that more than half of the released plastic settles to the seafloor.
daniel.heydebreck
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2018-02-11T11:23:23.593Z
I don't have references for my conclusion => hence, just a comment an no answer.
daniel.heydebreck
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-12T13:32:18.590Z
@daniel.neumann - It clearly states that about **5 to 13 million metric tons** of plastic enter the ocean every year in the first sentence. Did you even read it?
Eevee
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-12T14:27:04.800Z
The input of 5 to 13 million metric tons per year is quite rough (and maybe the best estimate one can give in the moment). It is the same as when I would say that my age was approximately between 17 and 45 years. The given number is even rougher than my example because 1 year is 1 year (without time travel and relativity) but 1 kg of plastic items are not necessary like another 1 kg of plastic items (different shape, different material, different additives).
daniel.heydebreck
<ocean><plastic>
How much plastic settles to the bottom of the oceans each year?
f.thorpe
# How much plastic settles to the bottom of the oceans each year?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-02-11)

[This article](http://www.popsci.com/researchers-find-just-how-much-plastic-were-putting-ocean) says that 5 to 13 million metric tons of plastic go into the ocean every year. In the study [At what point do floating plastics sink?](http://www.teammarine.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Plastic-Buoyancy-Research_Press-Release_TM-09-101.pdf), they give an estimate of the weight needed to sink plastics. They reference the paper [Assessing marine debris in deep seafloor habitats off California](http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.460.4340&rep=rep1&type=pdf), which assesses the amount of plastic debris that has settled to the bottom of the ocean off the coast of California. Given this information as a starting point... How much plastic settles to the bottom of the oceans each year?

**Tags:** ocean, plastic

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: To answer this properly, we need to know how much plastic enters the oceans each year. Probably the largest proportion of it settles to the sea floor at one point of time. If we are (are we?) in situation with a steady state of plastic amount in the water column, the amount of sinking plastic should be also in the steady state. I think (personal feeling; worked a bit in this field four years ago) beaching, degradation and eating by animals together amount for less than the sinking. Therefore, I would expect that more than half of the released plastic settles to the seafloor.  
> **username_1**: I don't have references for my conclusion => hence, just a comment an no answer.  
> **username_2**: @daniel.neumann - It clearly states that about **5 to 13 million metric tons** of plastic enter the ocean every year in the first sentence. Did you even read it?  
> **username_1**: The input of 5 to 13 million metric tons per year is quite rough (and maybe the best estimate one can give in the moment). It is the same as when I would say that my age was approximately between 17 and 45 years. The given number is even rougher than my example because 1 year is 1 year (without time travel and relativity) but 1 kg of plastic items are not necessary like another 1 kg of plastic items (different shape, different material, different additives).  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-02-12. Score: 3

# About 18.2 million tons sink to the ocean floor.

Every year, an astonishing 260 million tons of plastic waste is produced, and about 10% of it ends up in the ocean. Over time, roughly 70% of the plastic that ends up in the ocean sinks to the ocean floor.

Therefore 18.2 million tons of plastic waste end up on the ocean floor.

I used [this article](http://plastic-pollution.org/) for my numbers.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Please provide some references for your numbers.  
> **username_2**: I used [this article](http://plastic-pollution.org/) for my numbers.  
> **username_3**: Edit your source into the question. People don't always read the comments. Also, the heavy use of bold text is unnecessary and doesn't look particularly great in my opinion.  
> **username_3**: Also, your figures don't seem to match the article you linked. They claim that 8 million tons per year (2015 estimate) make it into the ocean out of the 299 million tons produced (2013 estimate).  
> **username_2**: Did you read the entire article? I only picked out the accurate information from the latest research.  
> **username_3**: I skimmed the first few paragraphs where most of the numbers seemed to be. Where did you get your numbers from?  
> **username_2**: @username_3 I originally searched "how much plastic sinks to the ocean floor annually?" on google, and I read the summary google provided for the **second link,** named "Plastic Pollution". I thought I'd need to provide an actual link rather than a google search, so I copy-pasted the link into my post.  
> **username_2**: @username_3 It stated the following:  "Of the 260 million tons of plastic the world produces each year, about 10 percent ends up in the Ocean, according to a Greenpeace report (Plastic Debris in the World's Oceans, 2006). Seventy percent of the mass eventually sinks, damaging life on the seabed. The rest floats in open seas, often ending up in gyres, circular ..."  
> **username_3**: There are more recent figures than that elsewhere in the report.  
> **username_1**: @Imtherealsanic please read my comments to your question ["How do I answer a question correctly?"](https://earthscience.meta.stackexchange.com/q/1610/5594). Google and web pages of NGOs (depending on the NGO! some are really good) do not necessarily provide the correct and up-to-date data.  
> **username_4**: Imtherealsanic: Unrelated to this (but nowhere else I can post it, and noticed it was an issue here as well): When you respond to someone's comment, you need to add @username to notify the user you're responding to (unless it was their answer you're posting on).  Otherwise there's a good chance they won't see your comment.  
> **username_2**: @username_4 I know. Those comments were not directed at anyone in particular. As you can see above, I have used the @ username tactic for bon twice.  
> **username_4**: Whoops, indeed, saw the past couple posts seemingly directed at daniel.  And was caused by your responses on the salty river answer you gave.  Always a good idea to @, even if only partially directed at a single person.  

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