Microplastics are an invisible crisis – small enough to evade detection but immense in their impact. The Straits Times' "Drowning in Plastic" interactive was designed to make these particles visible, exposing the extent of ocean plastic pollution and its consequences. This behind-the-scenes account explores how we brought this pressing issue to life, tackling the challenges of visualising something so pervasive yet almost imperceptible.

The idea for this project was born out of growing global concerns about plastic pollution, especially in the lead-up to the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee plastics treaty talks in Busan, South Korea.

While discussions on plastic waste often centre around visible debris such as bottles and fishing nets, microplastics present a more insidious problem. These tiny fragments, measuring less than 5mm, infiltrate not just our oceans but also the air we breathe, the soil beneath our feet, and even the food we consume. We wanted to make this often-overlooked aspect of plastic pollution tangible for readers.

Singapore, with its high maritime traffic, has some of the highest recorded concentrations of microplastics globally – owing to plastic waste dumped or lost at sea and the shedding of microplastics from ship paint, coatings and synthetic materials. This provided a crucial angle for the investigation, highlighting the direct impact on local and regional ecosystems.

The challenge: Making the invisible visible

One of the greatest difficulties in crafting this story was figuring out how to represent microplastics visually. Unlike macroplastics – bags, bottles, nets – that can be easily photographed, these particles are often invisible to the naked eye.

Modelling of the different types of microplastics that can be found in the ocean

We combined scientific data, 3D motion graphics and interactive storytelling techniques to translate this into a compelling visual narrative. The goal was to help readers experience the journey of microplastics – how they travel through ocean currents, accumulate in garbage patches, and ultimately enter marine life and human systems.

Typical plastic items found in the ocean were rendered in 3D, and microscopic images were used to model the microplastics.
Typical local species were also selected to model the marine life commonly found in the area of the Indian Ocean Garbage Patch.

To ensure scientific accuracy in visualising the composition of garbage patches, we also relied on data from The Ocean Cleanup’s research on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Its detailed breakdown of plastic size distribution allowed us to draw the distinct elements found in these patches – microplastics, macroplastics, and larger debris – with precision. This dataset helped shape both the structure and density of the modelled garbage patches shown in the interactive.

Pieces of plastic identified by Ocean Cleanup in the Great Garbage Patch.
We then modelled these items.

Creating a believable visual world required more than just accurate forms – it called for careful consideration of colour, light and perspective. We chose a muted, almost monochromatic palette to reflect the eerie, lifeless feel of polluted waters. Later, we introduced colour strategically to highlight differences in plastic size and density. We also used cooler tones for the deeper ocean and warmer shades for areas with higher concentrations of waste. This contrast allowed us to guide the viewer’s eye and underscore the escalating impact of human pollution beneath the ocean surface.

Modelling the view of the garbage patch from the ocean in greyscale
The same vantage point, presented in the final colour-rendered version

The challenge of limited data

Quantifying the global presence of microplastics is inherently challenging due to their microscopic size and widespread distribution. Traditional methods, such as field sampling using nets and laboratory analysis, are labour-intensive and cover limited areas. Satellite imagery, while useful for detecting larger debris, lacks the resolution to identify microplastics. Consequently, researchers often rely on estimation models that incorporate various data sources, including field samples, ocean current patterns and statistical analyses.

After consulting with multiple experts in marine pollution, we chose to base our visualisations on the comprehensive study: “A growing plastic smog, now estimated to be over 170 trillion plastic particles afloat in the world’s ocean”. This research synthesised data from over 11,000 sampling stations collected between 1979 and 2019. The study employed statistical models to estimate the average counts and mass of small plastics in the ocean surface layer, providing a robust foundation for our visual representations. Using this dataset, we sought to present an accurate depiction of microplastic distribution and movement across the world's oceans.

Visualising 170 trillion plastic particles

Find a needle in a haystack

We also wanted to build a sequential narrative following the journey of a microplastic particle through the ocean. But how can we know the path taken by a plastic fibre just a few millimetres wide, released off the coast of Singapore?

To find an answer, we used the Plastic Tracker by The Ocean Cleanup – a simulation tool that models likely trajectories for drifting plastic. This platform relies on the same oceanographic dataset we used to map the ocean garbage patches and marine currents, based on the Copernicus GLORYS reanalysis from 1993 to 2012.

A simulation of how plastic released in Singapore ends up in the Indian Ocean Garbage Patch.

Since the tool generates probable, not certain, outcomes, we ran the simulation 25 times to see how often the plastic fibre ended up in the Indian Ocean Garbage Patch. In 18 out of 25 simulations, the plastic first drifted from Singapore into the Bay of Bengal, before crossing the Indian Ocean and eventually reaching the Indian Garbage Patch.

Designing the interactive experience

Our narrative begins with a single fibre being shed from a textile, whether through washing clothes or industrial discharge, which then enters the water system and gets carried by currents. Over time, it drifts across vast oceanic pathways, accumulating in areas of high plastic concentration. As it moves through the water, it becomes part of the floating plastic smog that marine species ingest, introducing microplastics into the food chain.

Initial part of the mockup, at the start of the journey.
Part of the mockup showing the immersion below the Garbage Patch.
Final part of the mockup, when the seabed is reached.

We used a 3D globe visualisation built with Threlte to show the journey of plastic in the ocean. Threlte is a 3D rendering library that makes it easy to use Three.js within the Svelte framework, allowing us to create a fully immersive and customisable 3D experience. Since Threlte isn’t designed specifically for mapping, we built custom geocoding, path animations and dot visualisations to make the data more engaging.

Initial renders of whale shark movements

The interactive features a smooth transition between this map and the 3D recreation of an ocean garbage patch. The user follows the journey from the surface of these massive plastic accumulations down into the water, exploring the ocean depths along the way.

The animation includes real objects found in the garbage patches

Still, there were challenges we had to overcome

Interpreting vast amounts of scientific data required meticulous work and extensive collaboration with environmental researchers. We conducted several interviews to ensure that the resulting interactive aligns with the latest research on the subject.

Ensuring that complex information was presented in an accessible and digestible format was a balancing act – too much simplification risked inaccuracy, while too much detail could alienate readers.

View the interactive here.