Table 1.
Mass and numerical load per ocean plastic type and size within the 1.6 million km2 GPGP.
| Size Class (cm) | Type H | Type N | Type P | Type F | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.05–0.15 | (tonnes) | 581 (351–1,252) | 23 (14–49) | — | 0.2 (0.1–0.4) | 604 (365–1,302) |
| (#) | 1.0 1012 (6.3 1011–2.2 1012) | 6.4 1010 (3.9 1010–1.4 1011) | — | 4.5 108 (2.7 108–9.5 108) | 1.1 1012 (6.7 1011–2.3 1012) | |
| 0.15–0.5 | (tonnes) | 5,356 (3,498–10,035) | 82 (54–154) | 336 (219–630) | 1.8 (1.2–3.4) | 5,776 (3,772–10,821) |
| (#) | 5.6 1011 (3.6 1011–1.0 1012) | 4.9 1010 (3.2 1010–9.0 1010) | 2.2 1010 (1.5 1010–4.1 1010) | 5.4 108 (3.5 108–9.9 108) | 6.3 1011 (4.1 1011–1.2 1012) | |
| 0.5–1.5 | (tonnes) | 4,703 (3,255–8,590) | 159 (110–290) | 0.9 (0.6–1.6) | 3 (2–5) | 4,865 (3,367–8,886) |
| (#) | 4.2 1010 (2.9 1010–7.8 1010) | 9.5 109 (6.6 109–1.8 1010) | 2.7 107 (1.9 107–5.0 107) | 3.9 107 (2.7 107–7.3 107) | 5.1 1010 (3.6 1010–9.6 1010) | |
| 1.5–5 | (tonnes) | 4,662 (3,220–9,642) | 439 (303–907) | — | 5 (4–11) | 5,106 (3,527–10,560) |
| (#) | 2.8 109 (2.0 109–5.4 109) | 1.5 109 (1.1 109–2.8 109) | — | 1.5 107 (1.1 107–2.9 107) | 4.36 109 (3.2 109–8.3 109) | |
| 5–10 | (tonnes) | 1,899 (1,714–2,166) | 120 (108–137) | — | 0.8 (0.7–0.9) | 2,020 (1,823–2,304) |
| (#) | 2.1 108 (1.9 108–2.3 108) | 6.5 107 (6.0 107–7.3 107) | — | 4.7 105 (4.3 105–5.3 105) | 2.7 108 (2.5 108–3.1 108) | |
| 10–50 | (tonnes) | 16,742 (15,265–18,330) | 1,409 (1,284–1,542) | — | 24 (22–27) | 18,175 (16,572–19,899) |
| (#) | 3.4 108 (3.1 108–3.7 108) | 2.1 108 (1.9 108–2.3 108) | — | 9.0 105 (8.2 105–9.8 105) | 5.5 108 (5.0 108–6.0 108) | |
| >50 | (tonnes) | 3,217 (1,195–5,688) | 39,144 (14,540–69,203) | — | — | 42,362 (15,736–74,892) |
| (#) | 1.9 106 (1.6 106–2.2 106) | 1.3 106 (1.1 106–1.5 106) | — | — | 3.2 106 (2.7 106–3.6 106) | |
| All | (tonnes) | 37,162 (28,500–55,704) | 41,376 (16,414–72,283) | 337 (220–631) | 35 (29–46) | 78,909 (45,163–128,665) |
| (#) | 1.6 1012 (1.0 1012–3.3 1012) | 1.2 1011 (7.9 1010–2.5 1011) | 2.2 1010 (1.5 1010–4.1 1010) | 1.1 109 (6.7 108–2.1 109) | 1.8 1012 (1.1 1012–3.6 1012) |
Plastic type H include pieces of hard plastic, plastic sheet and film, type N encompasses plastic lines, ropes and fishing nets, type P are pre-production plastic pellets, and type F are pieces made of foamed material.