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Plastics counteract the ability of Antarctic krill to promote the blue carbon pathway in the deep ocean
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Researchers found that exposure to nanoplastics — particularly negatively charged polystyrene particles — accelerates the breakdown of Antarctic krill fecal pellets, which are a key mechanism for transporting carbon from the surface ocean to the deep sea. This disruption could reduce the ocean's capacity to sequester carbon by as much as 5.5 million tonnes per productive season, linking plastic pollution directly to climate change.
The Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) play a critical role in promoting the so-called "blue carbon pathway" by producing a large amount of fast-sinking faecal pellets (FPs) which facilitate the transport of CO2 through the water column. Here we assess how exposure to negatively (PS-COOH) and positively (PS-NH2) charged polystyrene nanoparticles, impacts degradation of krill FPs (i.e. change in peritrophic membrane state, Carbon concentration and Carbon/Nitrogen ratio). Our findings suggest that exposure of nanoplastics, particularly negatively charged particles, increases krill FP degradation. This can result in a potential loss of FP-sequestrated C of up to 27 %, equivalent to up 5.5 Mt. C per productive season (Spring-early Autumn). This study provides new insights into how increasing levels of plastic pollution could affect the natural capital provided by krill FPs. The effect of this emerging anthropogenic contaminant should be considered by international policies focused on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
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Microplastics Alter the Properties and Sinking Rates of Zooplankton Faecal Pellets
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Researchers found that when zooplankton ingest microplastics, the plastic particles become embedded in their fecal pellets, making those pellets smaller, less dense, and slower to sink. Since these pellets normally help transport carbon from the ocean surface to the deep sea as part of the biological pump, altered sinking rates could disrupt this important carbon cycle process. The study reveals a previously unrecognized way that microplastic pollution could affect ocean chemistry and climate regulation.
Nanoplastics affect moulting and faecal pellet sinking in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) juveniles
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Researchers exposed juvenile Antarctic krill to nanoplastics and found that nanoplastic ingestion interfered with moulting (a key growth process) and reduced the sinking rate of faecal pellets, which could impair the biological carbon pump in Southern Ocean ecosystems.
Modeling the Vertical Transport of Copepod Fecal Particles under Nano/Microplastic Exposure
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Researchers studied how nano- and microplastics affect the fecal pellets produced by tiny marine copepods, which play a crucial role in transporting carbon from the ocean surface to deeper waters. They found that plastic particles reduced both the size and production rate of fecal pellets, and a fluid dynamics model showed this would slow their sinking speed and reduce vertical carbon transport. The study suggests that widespread microplastic pollution could interfere with the ocean's ability to sequester carbon.
Microplastics may reduce the efficiency of the biological carbon pump by decreasing the settling velocity and carbon content of marine snow
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Researchers found that microplastic fibers reduce the efficiency of the ocean's biological carbon pump by slowing the sinking of marine snow — clumps of organic material that carry carbon to the deep sea. This suggests that microplastic pollution could interfere with a key natural climate regulation mechanism by altering how carbon moves from surface waters to the ocean floor.
Distinct impacts of microplastics on the carbon sequestration capacity of coastal blue carbon ecosystems: A case of seagrass beds
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Researchers examined how microplastic pollution affects the ability of seagrass beds to capture and store carbon, a process important for combating climate change. Evidence indicates that microplastics can alter sediment properties, disrupt microbial communities, and inhibit seagrass growth, all of which reduce carbon storage capacity. The study highlights that microplastic contamination may be undermining one of nature's key tools for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
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