What Is Marine Debris?

Marine debris is all the manmade stuff that ends up in the oceans—from soda cans and plastic bottles to sunken ships. There’s marine debris in every ocean on Earth, and all that junk can kill and injure sea life, impede navigation, leach chemicals, and even end up in our food.

Nationally syndicated cartoonist Jim Toomey, creator of Sherman's Lagoon, has joined forces with The Pew Charitable Trusts to illustrate "marine debris" and other terms associated with our oceans.

Watch the full ocean terms video series.