Plastic debris reaches Southern Ocean, previously thought to be pristine
Guardian Unlimited | 27 Sep 2012
The first traces of plastic debris have been found in what was thought to be the pristine environment of the Southern Ocean, according to a study released in London by the French scientific research vessel Tara.
 Southern Ocean | Marine Debris

Bin found off Hawaii is from Japan tsunami
New Zealand Herald | 22 Sep 2012
A large plastic storage bin is the first confirmed piece of marine debris from last year's Japan tsunamis to arrive in Hawaii, revealed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
 Pacific Ocean | Marine Debris

Remnants of Japan's Tsunami Attract Archaeological Interest
New York Times | 03 Sep 2012
A citizens' brigade has been collecting and categorizing thousands of items that were swept out to sea by a tsunami that crashed into Japan last year.
 Pacific Ocean | Marine Debris | Natural Hazard

Oregon authorities to demolish Japanese tsunami dock
Guardian Unlimited | 30 Jul 2012
Demolition experts on the west coast of the United States will this week tackle a continuing environmental threat created by last year's Japanese devastating earthquake and tsunami.A 20-metre long dock that washed up on the coast of Oregon will be broken up and removed following fears over the possible spread of invasive plant and animal species.
 Pacific Ocean | Invasive Species | Marine Debris

Fifty metric tons of marine debris collected from from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
NOAA | 17 Jul 2012
NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette arrived back in its homeport of Honolulu on Saturday after scientists spent a month of collected nearly 50 metric tons of marine debris in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
 Pacific Ocean | Marine Debris

Seabirds study shows plastic pollution reaching surprising levels off coast of Pacific Northwest
EurekAlert | 06 Jul 2012
Plastic pollution off the northwest coast of North America is reaching the level of the notoriously polluted North Sea, according to a new study led by a researcher at the University of British Columbia.
 Pacific Ocean | Marine Debris | Seabirds

As Japan debris washes up in the US, scientists fear break in natural order
Guardian Unlimited | 09 Jun 2012
When a floating dock the size of a boxcar washed up on a sandy beach in Oregon, beachcombers got excited because it was the largest piece of debris from last year's tsunami in Japan to show up on the US west coast. But scientists worried it represented a whole new way for invasive species of seaweed, crabs and other marine organisms to break the earth's natural barriers and further muck up the area's marine environments.
 Pacific Ocean | Invasive Species | Marine Debris

India: Time to stop the marine mayhem
IOSEA Marine Turtle MoU | 15 May 2012
Last Monday, the carcass of an Olive Ridley turtle was washed ashore on Marve beach in Malad, not very far from where I stay. Experts estimate that more than 100 million marine animals are killed each year due to plastic debris in the ocean. More than 80% of the plastic found in the oceans, comes from land.
 Indian Ocean | Conservation | Fisheries | Marine Debris

Big rise in Pacific plastic waste
BBC | 09 May 2012
The quantity of small plastic fragments floating in the North Pacific Ocean has increased a hundred fold over the past 40 years.
 Pacific Ocean | Marine Debris

Garbage patch changing insect mating habits
Guardian Unlimited | 09 May 2012
Marine insects in the Pacific Ocean are changing their reproduction habitats in response to environmental changes from the accumulating amount of rubbish in the north Pacific subtropical gyre, also known as the great Pacific garbage patch, according to researchers.
 Pacific Ocean | Marine Debris