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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An approach for extraction, characterization and quantitation of microplastic in natural marine snow using Raman microscopy
TL;DR: In this article, a dual density separation method employing sodium iodide extraction followed by methanol precipitation is presented for microplastic isolation and identification in natural marine snow samples, using a phase contrast microscope equipped with a Raman spectrophotometer system using a 785 nm laser excitation source.
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Effect of microplastics in water and aquatic systems.
TL;DR: The effects of plastic debris in the water and aquatic systems from various literature and on how COVID-19 has become a reason for microplastic pollution are reviewed in this paper.
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Horizontal and Vertical Distribution of Microplastics in Korean Coastal Waters.
Young Kyoung Song,Young Kyoung Song,Sang Hee Hong,Sang Hee Hong,Soeun Eo,Soeun Eo,Mi Jang,Mi Jang,Gi Myung Han,Atsuhiko Isobe,Won Joon Shim,Won Joon Shim +11 more
TL;DR: Polypropylene and polyethylene predominated throughout the water column regardless of their low density and particle size, and the middle and bottom water samples contained higher abundances of microplastics than predicted by a model based on physical mixing, indicating that biological interactions also influence the downward movement of low-density microplastic.
Journal ArticleDOI
Human Health and Ocean Pollution.
Philip J. Landrigan,John J. Stegeman,Lora E. Fleming,Denis Allemand,Donald M. Anderson,Lorraine C. Backer,F. Brucker-Davis,Nicolas Chevalier,Lilian Corra,Dorota Czerucka,Marie-Yasmine Dechraoui Bottein,Barbara A. Demeneix,Michael H. Depledge,Dimitri D. Deheyn,Charles J. Dorman,Patrick Fénichel,Samantha Fisher,Françoise Gaill,François Galgani,William H. Gaze,Laura Giuliano,Philippe Grandjean,Mark E. Hahn,Amro Hamdoun,Philipp Hess,Bret Judson,Amalia Laborde,Jacqueline McGlade,Jenna Mu,Adetoun Mustapha,Maria Neira,Rachel T. Noble,Maria Luiza Pedrotti,Christopher M. Reddy,Joacim Rocklöv,Ursula M. Scharler,Hariharan Shanmugam,Gabriella Taghian,Jeroen A. J. M. van de Water,Luigi Vezzulli,Pal Weihe,Ariana Zeka,Hervé Raps,Patrick Rampal +43 more
TL;DR: This work examines the known and potential impacts of ocean pollution on human health, identifies gaps in knowledge, project future trends, and proposes priorities for interventions to control and prevent pollution of the seas and safeguard human health.
Journal ArticleDOI
Microplastic Contamination in Freshwater Environments: A Review, Focusing on Interactions with Sediments and Benthic Organisms
Arianna Bellasi,Gilberto Binda,Andrea Pozzi,Silvia Galafassi,Pietro Volta,Roberta Bettinetti +5 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify the main aspects concerning microplastics pollution sources in lakes and rivers, with a focus on freshwater sediments as a site of accumulation and as the habitat of benthic organisms.
References
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