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Data

Microplastics in the surface ocean

About this data

Source
Lebreton et al. (2019) – processed by Our World in Data
Last updated
September 13, 2019
Date range
1950–2050
Unit
tonnes

Sources and processing

This data is based on the following sources

Lebreton et al. – A global mass budget for positively buoyant macroplastic debris in the ocean

Data describes modelled and projected ocean plastic under three 'plastic emissions' scenarios.

Given is the modelled global accumulation of buoyant macroplastics (>0.5 cm) in the ocean. And the accumulation of microplastics (<0.5 cm), which is degraded plastic material from the ocean surface layer.

This is given under three scenarios: (1) Emissions of plastic to the world's oceans stopped by 2020; (2) Emissions stagnated at 2020 levels; (3) Increasing emissions of plastic until 2050 in line with the average growth rate of global plastic production from 2005-2015.

Retrieved on
September 13, 2019
Retrieved from
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-49413-5
Citation
This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
Lebreton et al. (2019). A global mass budget for positively buoyant macroplastic debris in the ocean. Nature Scientific Reports.

Data describes modelled and projected ocean plastic under three 'plastic emissions' scenarios.

Given is the modelled global accumulation of buoyant macroplastics (>0.5 cm) in the ocean. And the accumulation of microplastics (<0.5 cm), which is degraded plastic material from the ocean surface layer.

This is given under three scenarios: (1) Emissions of plastic to the world's oceans stopped by 2020; (2) Emissions stagnated at 2020 levels; (3) Increasing emissions of plastic until 2050 in line with the average growth rate of global plastic production from 2005-2015.

Retrieved on
September 13, 2019
Retrieved from
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-49413-5
Citation
This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
Lebreton et al. (2019). A global mass budget for positively buoyant macroplastic debris in the ocean. Nature Scientific Reports.

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Citations

How to cite this page

To cite this page overall, including any descriptions, FAQs or explanations of the data authored by Our World in Data, please use the following citation:

“Data Page: Microplastics in the surface ocean”. Our World in Data (2026). Data adapted from Lebreton et al.. Retrieved from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260511-092124/grapher/microplastics-in-ocean.html [online resource] (archived on May 11, 2026).

How to cite this data

In-line citationIf you have limited space (e.g. in data visualizations), you can use this abbreviated in-line citation:

Lebreton et al. (2019) – processed by Our World in Data

Full citation

Lebreton et al. (2019) – processed by Our World in Data. “Microplastics in the surface ocean” [dataset]. Lebreton et al., “A global mass budget for positively buoyant macroplastic debris in the ocean” [original data]. Retrieved May 11, 2026 from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260511-092124/grapher/microplastics-in-ocean.html (archived on May 11, 2026).

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