'Great Pacific Garbage Patch' is massive floating island of plastic, now 3 times the size of France

A massive floating island of plastic between California and Hawaii is growing rapidly and is now three times the size of France, a new study finds.

The giant accumulation of plastic called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch contains at least 79,000 tons discarded plastic, covering an area of about 617,800 square miles (1.6 million square kilometers), according to a study published Thursday in Scientific Reports.

That is three times the area of France and more than twice the size of Texas.

The study's authors further said, "Our results suggest that ocean plastic pollution within the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is increasing exponentially."