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Plastic debris in the open ocean

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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.

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Human footprint in the abyss: 30 year records of deep-sea plastic debris

TL;DR: In this article, the authors report plastic pollution in the deep-sea based on the information from a recently developed database, which archives photographs and videos of debris that have been collected since 1983 by deep sea submersibles and remotely operated vehicles.
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Toxicity of leachate from weathering plastics: An exploratory screening study with Nitocra spinipes.

TL;DR: An initial screening of the marine environmental hazard properties of leachates from weathering plastics to the marine harpacticoid copepod [Crustacea] Nitocra spinipes demonstrates that leachate from different plastics differ in toxicity to N. spinipes and that the toxicity varies under simulated weathering.
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Synthetic microfibers in the marine environment: A review on their occurrence in seawater and sediments.

TL;DR: Information on microfibers in seawater and sediments from available scientific information is summarized to show an heterogeneous approach is observed, with regard to sampling methodologies and units.
Journal ArticleDOI

Risk assessment of microplastics in the ocean: modelling approach and first conclusions

TL;DR: The risk assessment suggests that on average, no direct effects of free-floating microplastics in the marine environment are to be expected up to the year 2100, but from a meta-analysis with effect data available in literature, the safe concentration of 6650 buoyant particles m-3 is derived, below which adverse effects are not likely to occur.
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Marine plastic pollution as a planetary boundary threat - The drifting piece in the sustainability puzzle

TL;DR: The irreversibility and global ubiquity of marine plastic pollution mean that two essential conditions for a planetary boundary threat are already met as mentioned in this paper, and the Earth system consequences of plastic pollution are still uncertain, but pathways and mechanisms for thresholds and global systemic change are identified.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI

Microplastics in the marine environment

TL;DR: The mechanisms of generation and potential impacts of microplastics in the ocean environment are discussed, and the increasing levels of plastic pollution of the oceans are understood, it is important to better understand the impact of microPlastic in the Ocean food web.
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Lost at sea: where is all the plastic?

TL;DR: It is shown that microscopic plastic fragments and fibers are also widespread in the marine environment and may persist for centuries.
Journal ArticleDOI

Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments.

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.
Journal ArticleDOI

Microplastics in the Marine Environment: A Review of the Methods Used for Identification and Quantification

TL;DR: This review of 68 studies compares the methodologies used for the identification and quantification of microplastics from the marine environment and suggests standardized sampling procedures which allow the spatiotemporal comparison ofmicroplastic abundance across marine environments.
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How does plastic goes to ocean are the global concern on plastic pollution?

Plastic debris enters the ocean through various sources such as littering, improper waste management, and runoff from land. The global concern on plastic pollution is increasing due to its harmful impacts on marine ecosystems.