Indian Ocean garbage patch

[7] As with the other patches, the field constitutes an elevated level of pelagic plastics, chemical sludge, and other debris; primarily particles that are invisible to the naked eye.

[8][9][10][11] The existence of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the first to be discovered, was predicted in a 1988 paper published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States.

[3] As plastic items of neutral and positive buoyancy piles up in this infamous garbage patch, researchers and scientists have difficulty pinpointing their location due to treacherous currents.

Due to strong currents, plastic debris washes ashore in various locations, diminishing environmental prosperity and harming living organisms.

[2][3][5][6] On the Indian Ocean leg of their trip, they travelled between Perth, Australia, and Port Louis, Mauritius (east of Madagascar); each of the water samples they collected in the 4,800 km (3,000 mi) between contained plastic.