A team of Danish scientists have painted a worrying picture of the scale of plastic pollution in and around Bermuda.

The crew of the Christianshavn visited the Island as part of a major global project to study levels of plastic pollution in the Atlantic, and to raise awareness of the problem.

Ocean currents carry debris such as plastic into the five gyres — large systems of rotating ocean currents. Bermuda is within the North Atlantic gyre.

While the sailing boat approached the Island, scientist Kristian Syberg took a series of water samples from the sea.

Two of his colleagues, Zhanna Tairova and Henrik Beha, then spent more than a week taking more samples from beaches across Bermuda.

Mr Beha told The Royal Gazette that the amount of microplastics on the beaches was a “real eye-opener”.

“We were prepared to find microplastics on the beaches of Bermuda because we had collaborated with the ‘5 Gyres’ [a group working to end plastic pollution] in the run up to our trip and understood that Bermuda is in a hot zone for microplastics.

“But to see the amount of these microplastics being brought in on the waves to the most beautiful beaches was surprising and demonstrates the challenges faced by the Island.

“It is important for us to communicate this situation to Eastern America and also Europe to show people that this is our backyard and all of our activities have an effect on places like Bermuda.”

Mr Syberg said he was also surprised by the amount of plastic pollution in the sea surrounding the Island.

The scientist, who has a PhD in environmental risk from Roskilde University in Denmark, added: “Of course I was prepared to find plastic, but I am still surprised to see how much we found out there in the middle of nowhere.

“I’m referring to just what was visible to the naked eye.

“Underneath is an even finer graded sieve, which has caught the very small particles, which lie as a thin porridge-like layer on the bottom.”

The research trip was organised by the European environmental group called Plastic Change, an international organisation based in Denmark that works to raise awareness about the consequences of the increasing pollution of plastic in the seas and environment.

The group aims to document, educate and campaign to put a sharper focus on plastic pollution among the public and politicians, and works with research institutes to arrange expeditions to collect data exposing the extent of the problem.

The samples taken by the scientists in and around Bermuda were collected in small bags and containers, recorded and then sent back to Denmark for further testing that will take place in the coming weeks.

Mr Syberg said: “My main focus is on the invisible microplastic that can be absorbed by mussels and fish, and on their way through the food chain can end up being immersed into our bodies.

“If the toxins hang on then this poses a danger to people that we have seen previously with chemicals such as dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane and polychlorinated biphenyls.”