In order to better understand the impact of pollution in our oceans, it is useful to analyze the different sources and types of pollutants.  While stories of enormous garbage patches in the middle of the ocean make good news stories due to their dramatic visual impact, visual pollution is equally matched by “pollution in solution”.  This means pollutants that are either soluble in seawater or that the particles of pollution are so small they are not visible unless they are looked at with a microscope.