We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Assessment of seafloor litter in the Gulf of Thailand using benthic trawls: Composition, distribution, and implications for plastic pollution management
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers dragged nets along the seafloor of the Gulf of Thailand to see how much plastic trash, like bags and sheets, was piling up down there, and found less than expected based on how much plastic the region is estimated to dump into the ocean. This suggests the seafloor isn't trapping most of that waste, meaning the missing plastic may be breaking down into microplastics, drifting elsewhere, or getting removed, all important clues for figuring out where ocean plastic (and the microplastics that can end up in seafood we eat) actually ends up.
Plastic waste reduction is a global challenge, so it is crucial to examine specific regions that contribute significantly to the release of plastic waste. We used benthic trawls to examine seafloor litter in the Gulf of Thailand (GoT), which is bordered by several ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries where plastic emissions are considered significant. The amounts of seafloor litter in October 2023 and April 2024 were 262.9 and 245.7 items km –2 , respectively, with plastic sheets and plastic bags identified as the dominant types. This abundance is lower than that reported in global data. A mass comparison indicates that, if the seafloor acted as a permanent sink, no more than a few percent of the discharged plastic waste would be retained there. This may reflect genuinely lower emissions than initially estimated, active removal and redistribution of litter, or methodological underestimation inherent to trawl surveys compared with imaging analyses; direct methodological intercomparison (e.g., simultaneous ROV-based surveys) is therefore needed. Of the seafloor litter, single-use plastics and fishing- and maritime-related litter accounted for 22.8% and 36.4% of the total amount, respectively. The standing stock of seafloor litter shows no clear seasonal pattern, unlike that of floating plastics, although this does not exclude seasonality in the underlying fluxes. Based on these results, this study provides important insights for advancing marine debris countermeasures in ASEAN countries.
More Papers Like This
From seafloor litter to living substrate: A first assessment of litter composition and plastic-associated fouling communities in the Gulf of Thailand
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists surveying the seafloor in the Gulf of Thailand found it littered mostly with plastic—sheets, string, rope, and fishing gear—much of it clustered near river mouths, showing that trash from land is flowing into the ocean and settling on the bottom. This plastic doesn't just sit there; it becomes a surface where marine organisms grow, and as it breaks down over time, it likely contributes to the microplastics that can enter the seafood we eat. The findings matter because they help identify pollution hotspots and support better strategies to stop plastic waste before it reaches the ocean and, eventually, our din
The necessity of whole-water-column monitoring: microplastic vertical and horizontal distribution and ecological risk on the Eastern Coast of the inner Gulf of Thailand
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers sampled microplastics at surface, mid-depth, and near-bottom layers across 20 coastal stations in the Gulf of Thailand, finding significant vertical and horizontal heterogeneity that surface-only monitoring would miss, with depth and distance from shore jointly controlling microplastic fate and ecological risk.
Searching for the missing plastic: a global surface mass budget for floating ocean plastics.
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers constructed a global surface mass budget for floating ocean plastic, finding that the amount accumulating at the surface represents only a small fraction of total plastic entering the ocean. This study explores potential sinks including fragmentation, biofouling-driven sinking, and beaching to account for the missing plastic.
Contamination and characteristics of microplastics in recreation beach sediment of the western part of the inner Gulf of Thailand
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in beach sediments at a recreation site, finding plastic particles of varying shapes and colors that reflect inadequate waste management and runoff from multiple pollution sources.
Testing the factors controlling the numbers of microplastics on beaches along the western Gulf of Thailand
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers measured microplastic concentrations on beaches along the western Gulf of Thailand and applied statistical models to link abundance patterns to ocean surface currents and land-based pollution sources, finding that current direction and proximity to riverine inputs were the strongest predictors of beach MP levels.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.