An international search to locate missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared on 8 March, is under way in the southern Indian Ocean. Various objects seen floating in the ocean and washed up on the shores of western Australia briefly raised hopes that traces of the plane had been found. Unfortunately, such litter is ubiquitous in the oceans.

Finding traces of humanity in the sea has never been easier, thanks to sophisticated technology. But finding evidence of the plane's whereabouts is proving much more difficult — despite numerous and ongoing research successes with the marine-observation systems employed (see www.ioc-goos.org).

Perhaps the tragedy of the false litter trail of flight MH370 will help to raise the public's awareness of the need to protect the oceans from pollution (see www.gpa.unep.org).