Plastic debris in the open ocean
Andrés Cózar,Fidel Echevarría,J. Ignacio González-Gordillo,Xabier Irigoien,Bárbara Úbeda,Santiago Hernández-León,Alvaro T. Palma,Sandra Navarro,Juan García-de-Lomas,Andrea Ruiz,María L. Fernández-de-Puelles,Carlos M. Duarte +11 more
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TLDR
Using data from the Malaspina 2010 circumnavigation, regional surveys, and previously published reports, this work shows a worldwide distribution of plastic on the surface of the open ocean, mostly accumulating in the convergence zones of each of the five subtropical gyres with comparable density.Abstract:
There is a rising concern regarding the accumulation of floating plastic debris in the open ocean. However, the magnitude and the fate of this pollution are still open questions. Using data from the Malaspina 2010 circumnavigation, regional surveys, and previously published reports, we show a worldwide distribution of plastic on the surface of the open ocean, mostly accumulating in the convergence zones of each of the five subtropical gyres with comparable density. However, the global load of plastic on the open ocean surface was estimated to be on the order of tens of thousands of tons, far less than expected. Our observations of the size distribution of floating plastic debris point at important size-selective sinks removing millimeter-sized fragments of floating plastic on a large scale. This sink may involve a combination of fast nano-fragmentation of the microplastic into particles of microns or smaller, their transference to the ocean interior by food webs and ballasting processes, and processes yet to be discovered. Resolving the fate of the missing plastic debris is of fundamental importance to determine the nature and significance of the impacts of plastic pollution in the ocean.read more
Citations
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Identification and quantification of microplastics using Nile Red staining.
TL;DR: The NR staining method was suitable for discriminating fragmented polypropylene particles from large numbers of sand particles in laboratory weathering test samples and is straightforward and quick for identifying and quantifying polymer particles in the laboratory controlled samples.
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Environmental Factors Support the Formation of Specific Bacterial Assemblages on Microplastics.
TL;DR: It is clarified that the surrounding environment prevailingly shapes the biofilm communities, but that MP-specific assemblage factors exist.
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Sources, transport, and accumulation of different types of plastic litter in aquatic environments: A review study.
TL;DR: It is argued that a large fraction of plastic waste accumulates here, as only thick-walled, larger plastic debris from low-density polymers are transported through currents from rivers to ocean, while the larger fraction is likely retained in sediments or beaches.
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Marine microplastic-associated biofilms - a review
TL;DR: First insights and research gaps related to microplastic-associated microbial biofilm communities are summarized and the question about the potential of plastic particles to serve as vectors for harmful microorganisms is raised.
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Microplastics in agricultural soils on the coastal plain of Hangzhou Bay, east China: Multiple sources other than plastic mulching film.
Bianying Zhou,Jiaqing Wang,Haibo Zhang,Huahong Shi,Yufan Fei,Shunyin Huang,Yazhi Tong,Dishi Wen,Yongming Luo,Damià Barceló +9 more
TL;DR: The impacts of mulching and irrigation on microplastic accumulation in cropped soils and waters are investigated to indicate contributions from irrigation and plastic waste residues other than plastic mulching.
References
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Microplastics in the marine environment
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Richard C. Thompson,Ylva S. Olsen,Richard P. Mitchell,Anthony Davis,Steven J. Rowland,Anthony W. G. John,Daniel F. McGonigle,Andrea E. Russell +7 more
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TL;DR: Global plastics production and the accumulation of plastic waste are documented, showing that trends in mega- and macro-plastic accumulation rates are no longer uniformly increasing and that the average size of plastic particles in the environment seems to be decreasing.
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Microplastics in the Marine Environment: A Review of the Methods Used for Identification and Quantification
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TL;DR: Model calculations and experimental observations consistently show that polyethylene accumulates more organic contaminants than other plastics such as polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride, and PCBs could transfer from contaminated plastics to streaked shearwater chicks.