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'Great Pacific Garbage Patch' is massive floating island of plastic, now 3 times the size of France

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Erwin Zwart/The Ocean Cleanup

New system design allows for cleanup of ocean plastic 2 years ahead of schedule

NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center/AP

ByGood Morning America

March 23, 2018, 4:29 PM

A massive floating island of plastic between California and Hawaii is growing rapidly and is now three times the size of France, a new study finds.

A photo provided by NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center shows debris in Hanauma Bay, Hawaii in 2008. A 2014 study estimated nearly 270,000 tons of plastic is floating in the world's oceans.
NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center/AP

The giant accumulation of plastic called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch contains at least 79,000 tons discarded plastic, covering an area of about 617,800 square miles (1.6 million square kilometers), according to a study published Thursday in Scientific Reports.

PHOTO: A photo made available by The Ocean Cleanup on March 23, 2018 shows abandoned nets and other plastic garbage being pulled out of the ocean at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), located between halfway between Hawaii and California. — An undated handout photo made available by The Ocean Cleanup on March 23, 2018 shows abandoned nets and other plastic garbage being pulled out of the ocean at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), located between halfway between Hawaii and California.
The Ocean Cleanup/EPA/Rex via Shutterstock

PHOTO: A photo made available by The Ocean Cleanup on 23 March 2018 shows plastic samples pulled from the ocean at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), located between halfway between Hawaii and California. — An undated handout photo made available by The Ocean Cleanup on March 23, 2018 shows plastic samples that were pulled out of the ocean at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), located between halfway between Hawaii and California. According to research by a team of scientists the Great Pacific Garbage Patch found to have sixteen times more plastic than previously estimated.
THE OCEAN CLEANUP HANDOUT/EPA/Rex via Shutterstock

That is three times the area of France and more than twice the size of Texas.

A black footed albatross chick with plastics in its stomach lies dead on Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Nov. 2, 2014. Midway sits amid a collection of man-made debris called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Dan Clark/USFWS via AP

The study's authors further said, "Our results suggest that ocean plastic pollution within the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is increasing exponentially."

PHOTO: A garbage sample is pulled out of the ocean at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), located between halfway between Hawaii and California, in a photo provided by The Ocean Cleanup on March 23, 2018. — A garbage sample is pulled out of the ocean at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), located between halfway between Hawaii and California, in a photo provided by The Ocean Cleanup on March 23, 2018. According to research by a team of scientists with The Ocean Cleanup Foundation, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean is now estimated to contain around 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic weighing 80,000 tons, sixteen times more than previously estimated.
The Ocean Cleanup/EPA/Rex via Shutterstock

PHOTO: The Ocean Clean Up North Sea Prototype lies in the water after its unveiling to the press on June 22, 2016 in The Hague, Netherlands. — The Ocean Clean Up North Sea Prototype lies in the water after its unveiling to the press on June 22, 2016 in The Hague, Netherlands. Initiated by Dutch environmentalist Boyan Slat, the Ocean Cleanup's floating barrier will be tested for extreme weather at sea to prepare for its eventual deployment in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Michel Porro/Getty Images

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