Combined Marine Plastic and Oil Pollution Along California’s West Coast

In the coastal waters stretching from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles, California, residual oil from leaks in offshore pipelines has combined with an average of over 20 tons of plastic waste entering the ocean daily, creating a vast pollution belt. There has been a sharp rise in the number of sea lions, seals, and endangered gray whales dying after accidentally ingesting plastic or becoming entangled in oil slicks. Coral reefs are covered in plastic waste, and marine habitats have been severely damaged.