Satellite monitoring has detected a massive floating plastic waste patch covering an area of approximately 50 square kilometers in the Gulf of Thailand (off the southeast coast of Bangkok). Driven by monsoon currents, vast quantities of plastic bags, bottles, discarded fishing nets, and foam debris carried by rivers such as the Chao Phraya have been swept into the sea, accumulating to form this “plastic island.” The debris continues to release microplastics, polluting the water and fish, leading to the accidental ingestion and death of sea turtles and seabirds. Meanwhile, large amounts of plastic waste entangle and cover coral reefs, suffocating them and causing their death, severely damaging the local marine ecosystem.
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