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Distribution characteristics of microplastics in surface waters in the western Pacific Ocean
Summary
Surface water sampling across the western Pacific Ocean detected microplastics at an average of 0.37 particles/m³ in all sampled locations, with fibers and fragments under 1 mm predominating and significantly higher concentrations near seamount areas than the South China Sea. The study establishes baseline contamination data for a vast understudied ocean region and reveals that oceanic circulation patterns actively concentrate microplastics even at remote deep-sea topographic features.
Microplastic contamination is considered a major threat to the marine environment. Although microplastic pollution in the Pacific Ocean has been studied, its abundance, distribution, composition, and origin in the western Pacific Ocean remain unclear. Here, we investigated the abundance and distribution characteristics of microplastics in surface waters of the western Pacific Ocean and analyzed their potential sources. Results show that microplastics were widespread in the western Pacific Ocean, with abundance ranging from 0.03 to 2.36 particles/m3 (average 0.37±0.47 particles/m3). Fibers/filaments and fragments were the main shapes of microplastics (71.6%) and the most abundant microplastic size class was <1.0 mm (42.4%). Significant differences in microplastic abundance were observed in different regions, with the lowest abundance in the South China Sea (0.03 particles/m3) and highest abundance in the seamount area in the western Pacific Ocean (0.58 particles/m3). This study provides baseline data and insights into the fate and transportation of microplastics in the western Pacific region.