"The seafloor has become 'the great reservoir of plastic debris,'" CBC News writes and quotes Dartmouth engineering professor Rachel Obbard, "who found plastics in Arctic ice cores in 2009.

"She said that as the oceans warm and the sea ice decreases, these plastic particles will likely get dispersed further and further. Warmer oceans likely mean new shipping routes will open up, which could lead to an increase of plastic in the Arctic, she added.

"'It's a problem that's going to get worse as the Arctic Ocean becomes more water and less ice,' said Obbard."

Filtered particles from Arctic sea ice. Photo credit: Y.-Q. Wong and A. Khitun/Dartmouth