Study finds plastic trash collection in Atlantic
By Associated Press
Feb 23, 2010 10:59 PM CST

Researchers say a high concentration of plastic debris is floating in the Atlantic Ocean north of the Caribbean.

The study's principal investigator said Tuesday the findings are based on more than 64,000 tiny bits of plastic collected over more than 22 years by Sea Education Association undergraduates.

Researchers believe surface currents carry the debris to the area between 22 and 38 degrees north latitude. Similar currents also deliver trash to a spot between Hawaii and California known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Kara Lavendar Law says it's difficult to compare the two, but researchers in both places collected more than 1,000 pieces during a single tow of a net.

The study was conducted by researchers from SEA, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the University of Hawaii.