Approximately 80% of the plastic that is discarded on land ends up in the oceans. Scientists just found another patch of garbage in the Arctic Circle.

Did you know? Approximately 80% of the plastic that is tossed into landfills ends up in the ocean. As a result, giant convergences of trash (predominantly made up of plastic) are floating in oceans around the world.

The largest, which is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is twice the size of Texas! Not only does plastic debris slowly break down and contaminate the environment, oftentimes it is ingested by marine animals who believe the particulates or pieces of trash are food.

As horrible as this is, the seriousness of the situation just escalated. Recently, an international team of scientists from 12 institutions in eight countries discovered a new garbage patch swirling in the Greenland and Barents seas, located north of Norway. According to The Verge, between 100 and 1,200 tons of plastic are concentrated there, adding further threat to wildlife.

The new garbage patch was discovered by the Tara Expeditions Foundation. Scientists dragged for plastic at 42 sites in the Arctic Ocean. One-third of the locations didn’t have any plastic. However, a large convergence of plastic was found amassing above Norway.

This garbage patch is smaller than the Pacific or Mediterranean garbage patches but is still greater in size than the researchers expected to find. No longer can one assume waters in the Arctic are pristine.