Plastic pollution has become a sad fact of life all over the world, including the oceans. While all this junk can pose a serious threat to many animals, new research suggests that some species may have transformed it into an entirely new ecosystem!

The North Pacific Garbage Land (NPGP) is a huge area in the ocean where a lot of plastic waste has accumulated. This is caused by swirling water currents that carry the debris along. However, it’s not just garbage that gets into this mess. Researchers at Georgetown University have discovered that many sea creatures such as jellyfish, snails and tentacled crayfish also live here.

In 2019, scientists embarked on a long 80-day journey to learn more about these sea creatures. They asked the sailing ship’s crew to help them collect animal and plastic waste samples. With the help of computers, they planned the best route to find places with a lot of garbage and marine life.

They discovered that there were more sea creatures inside the landfill than on the edges. The amount of plastic waste has also been associated with the abundance of certain sea creatures such as sea rafts, blue sea buttons and purple sea snails.

Researchers believe that debris-collecting water currents may also be important to these marine animals. Currents help them find food and mates. However, human activities such as plastic pollution in the oceans can harm these ocean meeting places and the animals that rely on them.

A “garbage patch” is more than just a dumpster. It’s not because of the plastic, but it’s an ecosystem nonetheless, says Georgetown researcher Rebecca Helm in a press release.

“Huge amounts of floating debris found in all five major subtropical eddies, including the North Atlantic (Sargasso Sea), South Atlantic, Indian Ocean, North Pacific, and South Pacific, are being transported and concentrated in ‘trash spots'” – the authors of the study in the journal PLOS Biology said.

“In the Sargasso Sea of ​​the North Atlantic, the neuston ecosystem is a feeding, maintenance and habitat. Similar to the Sargasso Sea, our results show that the central NPGP has a high surface density compared to the surrounding waters, but much is unknown about the ecology of these organisms. “Exploring the food webs and life histories of Neuston species will enable us to better understand their temporal cycles and relationships.”