River Plastic Emissions by Ocean Basin

Of the top 1,000 modeled river outfalls, 569 drain to the Pacific Ocean, 239 drain to the Indian Ocean, 192 drain to the Atlantic Ocean. Arctic Ocean and Southern Ocean receive no outfalls from the top 1,000 modeled points in this dataset.[1]

Last reviewed: July 20, 2026 Reviewed by: Plastic Bank Research Team
61.2%

of the combined top 1,000 modeled total drains to the Pacific Ocean (569 outfalls, 442,400 mt/yr)

Meijer et al. 2021

24.9%

of the combined top 1,000 modeled total drains to the Indian Ocean (239 outfalls, 179,764 mt/yr)

Meijer et al. 2021

13.9%

of the combined top 1,000 modeled total drains to the Atlantic Ocean (192 outfalls, 100,389 mt/yr)

Meijer et al. 2021

Basin breakdown (top 1,000 modeled outfalls)

The Pacific's share reflects the concentration of high-ranked outfalls along Southeast and East Asian coastlines; the Indian Ocean's reflects South Asian coastal catchments and monsoon transport; the Atlantic's comes largely from West African, South American, and Caribbean urban rivers.[1] Basin pages list the named rivers and link each profile.

Methodology Note

Figures are modeled estimates summed over the dataset's top 1,000 outfall points, which carry 71.8% of the modeled global total. They are not measured basin-wide fluxes, and basin attribution on this site does not extend to the remaining 30,819 points.

By-Basin FAQ

Which ocean receives the most river plastic?

The Pacific Ocean in this model: 569 of the top 1,000 modeled outfalls drain to it, carrying 442,400 metric tons per year, 61.2% of the combined top 1,000 total. Southeast and East Asian coastlines drive that concentration.

Do the Arctic Ocean and Southern Ocean receive river plastic?

Rivers contribute plastic to all ocean basins, but none of the top 1,000 modeled outfall points in this dataset drain to the Arctic Ocean or the Southern Ocean. Basin attribution on this site covers the top 1,000 points; smaller modeled inputs exist in the full 31,819-point dataset.

Are these basin totals measurements?

No. They are sums of modeled per-outfall estimates for the top 1,000 points in the Meijer et al. (2021) framework. Use them for relative comparison across basins, not as measured basin-wide fluxes.

Sources

  1. Meijer, L.J.J. et al. (2021). "More than 1000 rivers account for 80% of global riverine plastic emissions into the ocean." Science Advances, 7(18). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz5803
  2. UNEP (2021). "From Pollution to Solution: A Global Assessment of Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution." View report

How to Cite This Page

Plastic Bank. "River Plastic Emissions by Ocean Basin (Meijer et al. 2021)." Rivers Carrying Plastic to the Ocean. https://rivers.plasticbank.com/statistics/by-basin. Accessed [date].