Tara Mediterranean Expedition in 2014

Over the past decades, the proliferation of plastics has rapidly become a global problem affecting all oceans. With 80% of plastics in the sea originating from land, this pollution highlights the interactions between our daily lives and the ocean, and reinforces the need for a transition to an economy that is more respectful of the planet. During the Tara Mediterranean expedition in 2014, the schooner crisscrossed the Mare nostrum to study the interaction of plastics with plankton, and biodiversity in general. First edifying observation: of the 2000 samples taken during the expedition from 350 different sites, all contained plastic fragments.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Maintainer Earthdata Forum
Last Updated September 15, 2026, 02:31 (UTC)
Created April 1, 2025, 19:20 (UTC)
accessLevel public
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harvest_source_id b99e41c6-fe79-4c19-bbc3-9b6c8111bfac
harvest_source_title Science Discovery Engine
identifier 10.5067/SeaBASS/TARA_MEDITERRANEAN/DATA001
license https://www.usa.gov/government-works
modified 2026-09-07T22:16:01Z
programCode {026:000}
publisher NASA/GSFC/SED/ESD/GCDC/OB.DAAC;NASA/GSFC/SED/ESD/GCDC/SeaBASS
resource-type Dataset
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spatial ["CARTESIAN", [{"EastBoundingCoordinate": 180.0, "NorthBoundingCoordinate": 90.0, "SouthBoundingCoordinate": -90.0, "WestBoundingCoordinate": -180.0}]]
temporal 2014-06-26/2026-09-07
theme {"Earth Science"}