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
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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Microplastics in Mediterranean coastal area: toxicity and impact for the environment and human health
Marta Llorca,Diana Álvarez-Muñoz,Manuela Ábalos,Sara Rodríguez-Mozaz,Lúcia H.M.L.M. Santos,Víctor M. León,J. Antonio Campillo,Concepción Martínez-Gómez,Esteban Abad,Marinella Farré +9 more
TL;DR: In this article, the Mediterranean Sea is considered one hot spot of microplastics pollution in the world, as a consequence of the high number of plastic marine litter generating activities and its characteristic morphology of semi-enclosed sea.
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Aggregation and stability of nanoscale plastics in aquatic environment.
TL;DR: Results showed that salt types and ionic strength had significant effects on the stability of both polyethylene and polystyrene nanoscale plastics, while pH had none, indicating that significant aqueous transport of nanoscALE plastics will be possible in natural surface waters.
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A polystyrene-degrading Acinetobacter bacterium isolated from the larvae of Tribolium castaneum
TL;DR: Investigation of the gut microbiome of plastic- and bran-fed T. castaneum larvae showed that Acinetobacter sp.
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Trace elements in microplastics in Cartagena: A hotspot for plastic pollution at the Caribbean.
Isabel Acosta-Coley,Darío Méndez-Cuadro,Erika Rodríguez-Cavallo,Jesús D. de la Rosa,Jesus Olivero-Verbel +4 more
TL;DR: Most abundant microplastics in beaches were those with the lower degree of surface degradation features (SDF), categorized as white-new polyethylene pellets, followed by secondary microplastic (SM), and greater Hg levels were found in SM, white-degraded (WDP) and black pellets.
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Seasonal variation and risk assessment of microplastics in surface water of the Manas River Basin, China
Gaoliang Wang,Jianjiang Lu,Wanjie Li,Jianying Ning,Li Zhou,Yanbin Tong,Zilong Liu,Hongjuan Zhou,Nuerguli Xiayihazi +8 more
TL;DR: This study investigated the characteristics of microplastic pollution during dry (April) and wet (July) seasons in surface water of the Manas River Basin, China to better understand the variation in microplastics in different seasons in an inland freshwater environment.
References
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