Skip to content
The Ocean Cleanup
  • Oceans
  • Rivers
  • Dashboard
  • Updates
  • Careers
    • About us
    • Milestones
    • Waste Management
    • Research
    • Environment
    • Podcasts
    • Partners
    • FAQ
    • Merchandise
    • Contact
    • Press info
    • Media Gallery
  • Donate
Media Gallery

Plastic Research

Back to Media Gallery

Images (18)

  • Manta trawl (starboard) and underwater trawl (stern - cable from blue A-frame) during deep sea research mission 2018. The aim of the mission was to see if the plastic afloat in ocean garbage patches can pollute the deep sea below.
    Manta trawl (starboard) and underwater trawl (stern - cable from blue A-frame) during deep sea research mission 2018. The aim of the mission was to see if the plastic afloat in ocean garbage patches can pollute the deep sea below.
  • CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Density) profiler during deep sea research 2018. The aim of the mission was to see if the plastic afloat in ocean garbage patches can pollute the deep sea below.
    CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Density) profiler during deep sea research, 2018. The aim of the mission was to see if plastic floating in ocean garbage patches can pollute the deep sea below
  • Counting and categorizing the sampled microplastic during the deep sea expedition 2018. The aim of the mission was to see if the plastic afloat in ocean garbage patches can pollute the deep sea below.
    Counting and categorizing the sampled microplastic during the deep sea expedition 2018. The aim of the mission was to see if the plastic afloat in ocean garbage patches can pollute the deep sea below.
  • River plastic research in Malaysia, conducted by The Ocean Cleanup crew and local research partners
    River plastic research in Malaysia, conducted by The Ocean Cleanup crew and local research partners.
  • River plastic research in Guatemala
    River plastic research in Guatemala
  • River plastic research in Malaysia, conducted by The Ocean Cleanup crew and local research partners
    River plastic research in Malaysia, conducted by The Ocean Cleanup crew and local research partners
  • River plastic research in Malaysia, conducted by The Ocean Cleanup crew and local research partners
    River plastic research in Malaysia, conducted by The Ocean Cleanup crew and local research partners.
  • The Ocean Cleanup research team processes ocean plastic samples in the laboratory.
    The Ocean Cleanup research team processes ocean plastic samples in the laboratory.
  • The Ocean Cleanup research team processes ocean plastic samples in the laboratory.
    The Ocean Cleanup research team processes ocean plastic samples in the laboratory.
  • Laurent Lebreton, Lead Oceanographer at The Ocean Cleanup, carrying out desk research
    Laurent Lebreton, Lead Oceanographer at The Ocean Cleanup, carrying out desk research
  • Counting of microplastics in The Ocean Cleanup's lab
    Counting of microplastics in The Ocean Cleanup's lab
  • Lead Oceanographer Laurent Lebreton logging data aboard the Ocean Force One during the Aerial Expedition, 2016.
    Lead Oceanographer Laurent Lebreton logging data aboard the Ocean Force One during the Aerial Expedition, 2016.
  • Ocean Force One's arrival at Moffett Airfield in Mountain View, California, Aerial Expedition 2016
    Ocean Force One's arrival at Moffett Airfield in Mountain View, California, Aerial Expedition 2016
  • The Ocean Cleanup team and Aerial Expedition crew
    The Ocean Cleanup team and Aerial Expedition crew
  • Aerial Expedition 2016: Sensor equipment; a CZMIL system which uses LiDAR to create a 3D-image of the ghost nets (left), and a SASI hyperspectral SWIR imaging system, which uses an infrared camera to detect ocean plastic (right).
    Aerial Expedition 2016: Sensor equipment; a CZMIL system which uses LiDAR to create a 3D-image of the ghost nets (left), and a SASI hyperspectral SWIR imaging system, which uses an infrared camera to detect ocean plastic (right).
  • Mega Expedition mothership R/V Ocean Starr fully deployed above the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, 2015.
    Mega Expedition mothership R/V Ocean Starr fully deployed above the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, 2015.
  • Mega Expedition research vessel deploying manta trawl.
    Trawling in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
  • Manta trawl deployed during Mega Expedition.
    Manta trawl deployed during Mega Expedition. With a trawl, you can see how much microplastic there is per area trawled.

Illustrations (8)

  • Modeled mass concentration of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
    The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), as mapped by The Ocean Cleanup in 2015-2016.
  • The Great Pacific Garbage Patch in Numbers - Infographic
    The Great Pacific Garbage Patch in Numbers - Infographic
  • Plastic mass distribution within the Great Pacific Garbage Patch between size (bars) and type (colours) classes.
    Composition of the inner GPGP. Currently, about 5-10% of its mass is microplastics.
  • The journey of floating ocean plastic from rivers to garbage patches
  • Plastic in surface layers with cleanup and source reduction
    Future scenarios for macroplastics in the GPGP. The dark band shows what would happen without any change. Addressing the source (left) causes the amount of ocean pollution to stay constant. Combining source reduction with cleanup (right) causes the amount of ocean pollution to decline.
  • Projection of floating plastic mass in ocean surface layer
    Projection of floating plastic mass in ocean surface layer
  • Age distribution of floating plastic objects found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
  • Modeled age distribution of plastic
    Modeled age distribution of plastic

Video footage (8)

  • Boyan Slat on 1000 rivers emitting 80% of plastic from rivers
    0m41 81,60 MB
  • Lourens Meijer sharing key take-aways from our 1000 rivers research
    0m48 94,07
  • The Great Pacific Garbage Patch - Animation by in60seonds
    2min41 235,3 MB
  • Boyan Slat, Founder & CEO Explaining our research of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (2018)
    7min28 6,1 GB
  • Laurent Lebreton, Lead Oceanographer - About the Great Pacific Garbage Patch Research Results (2018)
    2min32 2 GB
  • River Waste Image Recognition Algorithm
    0m10 4m05
  • Various footage of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch research - Mega Expedition, Aerial Expedition, Laboratory
    5min59 4,9 GB
  • Aerial Expedition Press Conference at Mofett Airfield
    12min42 1,8 GB

Follow us

  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube
  • Follow us on Linkedin
  • Follow us on Tiktok

Newsletter

The Ocean Cleanup
  • Oceans
  • System 002
  • Rivers
  • Dashboard
  • Milestones
  • Updates
  • Great Pacific Garbage Patch
  • River Plastic Pollution Sources
  • The Price Tag of Plastic Pollution
  • Plastic Tracker
About us
  • Careers
  • About
  • Waste Management
  • Research
  • Press
  • Media gallery
  • Environment
  • Scientific Publications
  • Podcasts
  • Partners
Help
  • Donate
  • Merchandise
  • Citizen Science
  • FAQ
  • Contact
Legal
  • Privacy and Cookie Notice
  • Disclaimer
  • Donation Terms & Conditions
  • Supplier Code of Conduct
  • Foundation Details
  • American Friends of The Ocean Cleanup

© 2023 The Ocean Cleanup. All rights reserved. THE OCEAN CLEANUP trademarks are registered trademarks, pending registration, or protected under common law, and owned by The Ocean Cleanup Technologies B.V.