marine debris
Sea garbage accumulation
Marine debris is human-made waste that ends up in oceans, seas, and other bodies of water—everything from plastic bottles and fishing nets to abandoned vessels.
Also called ocean trash or marine litter.
The term emphasizes the environmental harm: Marine debris kills thousands of sea turtles each year.
Microplastics, the tiny fragments that result from larger debris breaking down, have become a particular concern.
Debris from wrecked vessels
- jetsamGoods deliberately discarded at sea
- shipwreckDestroyed vessel at sea
- fishing gearAngling equipment and supplies
- nettingInterlaced open fabric
ropes · buoys · anchors · cargo · ghost nets · trawl nets · lobster pots · crab traps
Sub-5mm synthetic environmental particles
- bottlesNarrow-necked liquid containers
- strawsHollow tubes for drinking
- bagsFlexible carrying containers
- six-pack ringsPlastic loops holding cans
fishing line · styrofoam · caps · lids · synthetic fibers · PET · polyethylene · polystyrene
Oceanic waste accumulation zone
- gyreCircular or spiral motion
- strandlineTide's deposit line
- high water markGreatest recorded extent
State of being intertwined
- ingestionConsuming into the body
- habitat destructionEliminating natural living spaces
- smotheringDepriving of air
- bioaccumulationPollutant concentration in tissues
strandings · suffocation · starvation · chemical contamination
flotsam
Debris from wrecked vessels
- jetsamGoods deliberately discarded at sea
- shipwreckDestroyed vessel at sea
- fishing gearAngling equipment and supplies
netting · ropes · buoys · anchors · cargo · ghost nets · trawl nets · lobster pots · crab traps · mooring lines
microplastics
Sub-5mm synthetic environmental particles
- bottlesNarrow-necked liquid containers
- strawsHollow tubes for drinking
- bagsFlexible carrying containers
six-pack rings · fishing line · styrofoam · caps · lids · synthetic fibers · PET · polyethylene · polystyrene · nylon
garbage patch
Oceanic waste accumulation zone
- gyreCircular or spiral motion
- strandlineTide's deposit line
- high water markGreatest recorded extent
entanglement
State of being intertwined
- ingestionConsuming into the body
- habitat destructionEliminating natural living spaces
- smotheringDepriving of air
bioaccumulation · strandings · suffocation · starvation · chemical contamination
- environmental harmair pollution, water pollution, pollution, oil spills, acid rain
- Marineoceans, fisheries, seafood, coastal zones, ocean currents
- beach debrisdriftwood, seashells, shells, wreckage, detritus
- ocean pollutionoil spills, plastic pollution, plastic waste, toxic waste, chemical spills
- Antarctic Pollutionoil spills, plastic waste, fuel leaks, microplastics, ecosystem damage
- Arctic Pollutionoil spills, microplastics, chemical spills, industrial waste, plastic waste
marine, debris, marina, submarine, maritime, marine layer, mariner, aquamarine, mariners