From John Atherton, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, UK
We see many pictures of floating plastic litter and littered beaches (for example 17 June, p 8). Several common plastics, including PVC, PET, nylon, polycarbonate and Teflon, are denser than seawater. Has any survey been done of the seabed in litter-prone areas?
The editor writes:
• Small particles of plastic will hang around at the surface. We have reported a suggestion that plastic of all varieties may be sinking to the sea floor as colonising organisms weigh it down (3 June, p 10). Surveys may be necessary to tell us more.
