We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Methane seepage leads to a specific microplastic aging process in the simulated cold seep environment
Summary
Laboratory experiments simulating cold seep conditions found that methane seepage accelerated microplastic surface aging — increasing roughness and oxidation — compared to weak seepage areas, suggesting deep-sea cold seeps represent a unique aging environment for microplastics.
Marine microplastics pose a significant threat to ecosystems, and deep-sea regions serve as critical sinks for these pollutants. Among these regions, cold seeps harbor relatively high concentrations of microplastics. However, research on the aging of microplastics under low-temperature, dark, methane-abundant, and high-pressure conditions remains limited. Seawater and sediment were collected from various Haima cold seepage sites to simulate seepage environments in 200-mL high-pressure reactors. Four types of microplastics at high concentrations (approximately 10 %) were cultured and monitored over two months to explore how they aged. The key findings are as follows: (1) Compared to areas of weak seepage, methane seepage accelerated microplastic aging, as evidenced by increased surface roughness, enhanced C-O and (CO)-O bond formation, increased microbial colonization, and reduced contact angles. (2) Microplastic aging is more pronounced in sediments than in seawater, with biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) exhibiting the most significant aging characteristics and carbon contribution. (3) Aged microplastics induce greater disturbances in inorganic nutrient levels than in organic matter, impacting nitrogen cycle processes involving nitrate, nitrite, and ammonium. This study results reveal the fundamental aging characteristics of microplastics in extremely deep seas and highlight their potential ecological effects.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Microplastics Affect Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane and Sedimentary Prokaryotic Communities in Cold Seep Areas
Laboratory experiments exposing cold seep seafloor sediments to microplastics for 120 days showed that polyamide and PET microplastics reduced methane oxidation rates to roughly a third of normal and altered the bacterial communities responsible for this process. Cold seep sediments are major global sinks for methane, so microplastic disruption of this microbial activity could have implications for greenhouse gas cycling in deep ocean environments.
Interactions of Microplastics and Methane Seepage in the Deep-Sea Environment
Researchers examined the accumulation of microplastics in cold seep sediments characterized by methane fluid seepage and chemosynthetic ecosystems in the deep sea, detecting 16 types of microplastics with high abundances at sediment surfaces. The findings suggest that cold seep environments act as effective sinks for small-scale microplastics under 100 micrometers and represent an important but overlooked reservoir in the marine carbon cycle.
Tracing the Century‐Long Evolution of Microplastics Deposition in a Cold Seep
Researchers traced a century of microplastic deposition in a deep-sea cold seep, finding that burial rates increased significantly since the 1930s in non-seepage areas, while methane seepage zones showed lower microplastic levels, suggesting potential microbial degradation of plastics.
Revealing the response of microbial communities to polyethylene micro(nano)plastics exposure in cold seep sediment
Researchers explored how polyethylene micro- and nanoplastics affect microbial communities in cold seep ocean sediments over a 120-day experiment. While the plastics did not significantly change overall microbial diversity, they did alter the community structure and affected methane-related metabolic processes. The study suggests that plastic pollution could interfere with important deep-sea biogeochemical cycles, including those involved in methane regulation.
Probing the aging process and mechanism of microplastics under reduction conditions
Researchers investigated how microplastics age under oxygen-depleted reduction conditions rather than the more commonly studied oxidative environments, finding that reduction conditions still alter microplastic surface properties and may affect their environmental behavior in anaerobic sediments and deep waters.