Our Oceans Under Threat
Live year-to-date counters tracking plastic, oil, and ghost gear entering our oceans — and the marine life paying the price.
Live Pollution Counters
YTD · 2026Accumulating since Jan 1, 2026 · updated every 200ms
Marine Life Damage
Key statistics on how ocean pollution is affecting marine ecosystems
Over 700 marine species encounter ocean pollution, including 17% of all IUCN threatened species.
Nine in ten seabirds examined worldwide have ingested plastic fragments — up from 5% in 1960.
More than half of all sea turtles globally have ingested plastic debris, with fatal intestinal blockages.
Half of the world's coral reefs have disappeared due to warming, acidification, and pollution.
Nitrogen runoff creates oxygen-depleted dead zones where almost no marine life can survive.
Oceans absorb 30% of human CO₂, lowering pH from 8.2 → 8.1 since industrialisation — a 26% acidity rise.
Lost and abandoned fishing nets trap and drown dolphins, whales, sharks, and turtles each year.
Studies show microplastics in fish flesh accumulate up the food chain and into the human diet.
At current rates, oceans could contain more plastic than fish by weight by 2050
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that without systemic change, the cumulative plastic entering oceans will outweigh all fish by 2050. Every year we delay action, approximately 8 million more metric tons of plastic joins the 150+ million metric tons already circulating in marine environments.
All figures are annual estimates from peer-reviewed sources, converted to real-time rates for educational purposes. Sources: UNEP, Ocean Conservancy, Jambeck et al., IUCN, GESAMP, NAS, WWF, GCRMN, Ellen MacArthur Foundation.