FRANCE-GUIANA-SCIENCES-ENVIRONMENT-POLLUTION-TRANSPORT-SEA

Patrick Deixonne, 47, member of the French Explorers Society (SEF) is pictured on March 11, 2012, in Cayenne (French Guiana, in South America) during the Bouvet Guyane 2012 race. Deixonne was in charge of the competitors after participating twice in the event. Aware of the pollution and waste problems he met on his way, Deixonne launched in April 2012 an exploration mission focused on the study of the "7th continent" composed of waste. This accumulation of millions of tons of plastic litter carried by the ocean currents now covers an area six times as big as France in the North Pacific Ocean. AFP PHOTO / JODY AMIET (Photo credit should read JODY AMIET/AFP via Getty Images)