NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — A seabird snared by plastic six-pack rings, plastic pellets filling up a fish’s stomach — such images isn’t new.

But what happens when tons of plastic debris slowly break down in the open ocean and leach toxic chemicals, furnish an unnatural reef for microbes or get gobbled up by marine life, from plankton on up the food chain, is far less understood.

Recommended Stories

They judged foreign governments for a living. Now they’re judging ours

Bibi quits! Your clip-and-save guide to the Israeli election

The problem isn’t that the pope voted