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Tara Mediterranean Expedition in 2014

Published by NASA/GSFC/SED/ESD/GCDC/OB.DAAC;NASA/GSFC/SED/ESD/GCDC/SeaBASS | National Aeronautics and Space Administration | Metadata Last Checked: February 14, 2026 | Last Modified: 2026-02-10
Over the past decades, the proliferation of plastics has rapidly become a global problem affecting all oceans. With 80% of plastics in the sea originating from land, this pollution highlights the interactions between our daily lives and the ocean, and reinforces the need for a transition to an economy that is more respectful of the planet. During the Tara Mediterranean expedition in 2014, the schooner crisscrossed the Mare nostrum to study the interaction of plastics with plankton, and biodiversity in general. First edifying observation: of the 2000 samples taken during the expedition from 350 different sites, all contained plastic fragments.

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