A vast expanse of floating trash has been collecting in the Pacific Ocean into a mass that scientists are now referring to as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The University of Hawaii is set to launch an expedition to confirm this new floating continent.
The thick mass of plastic soup is located about 500 miles off the coast of California and is reported to be twice the size of the United States.
According to a recent report from the UN Environment Programme, each square mile of ocean water contains an average of 46,000 pieces of floating garbage.