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Transport and Settling of Microplastics in Turbidity Currents
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Researchers investigated the transport and settling behavior of microplastics in turbidity currents to help explain the 'missing plastic' paradox, where far less plastic remains at the ocean surface than the amount estimated to enter the ocean annually. The study found that turbidity currents efficiently transport microplastics to deep-sea sediments, providing a mechanism for the removal of plastic from surface waters.
Although tens of millions of tons of plastic waste are released into the ocean each year, less than 300 kilotons remain on or near the ocean surface. This is particularly puzzling because more than half of plastics that are produced are buoyant in sea water. One mechanism that can result in buoyant plastic settling is the process of biofouling in which microbes and other organic material can accumulate on the plastics rendering them more dense. Less studied is the accumulation of inorganic material on the plastics. For example, clay has recently been shown to attach to plastics, particularly in the presence of surfactants. Here we report on laboratory experiments showing that plastic particles which are less dense than fresh water can settle due to the accumulation of glass spheres ("sand") on their surface. This process is shown to occur dynamically as sand and plastic particles mix turbulently during the impulsive release of a turbidity current, which can carry some of the plastic particles to depth along with the settling sand. [This work reports on experiments performed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (GFD) Fellow Quentin Kriaa during the WHOI GFD Summer Program 2023, co-supervised by Claudia Cenedese and Jim McElwaine.]
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Microplastics in turbidity currents: transport and sedimentation
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Researchers investigated the transport and sedimentation behavior of microplastics within turbidity currents, examining how these high-density submarine sediment gravity flows carry MP particles from continental shelves to deep-sea environments and what controls where MPs ultimately deposit.
Transport and Burial of Microplastics in Deep-Marine Sediments by Turbidity Currents
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Researchers used flume experiments to investigate how underwater avalanches called turbidity currents transport and bury microplastics in deep-sea sediments. They discovered that microplastic fibers become preferentially trapped between settling sand grains during deposition, even though fragments are more concentrated at the base of the flow. The study suggests that these powerful ocean currents may be responsible for distributing and burying large quantities of microplastics on the seafloor.
Transport and sedimentation of microplastics by turbidity currents: Dependence on suspended sediment concentration and grain size
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Researchers used laboratory experiments to study how turbidity currents, underwater flows of sediment-laden water, transport and deposit microplastics on the ocean floor. They found that higher sediment concentrations carried microplastics farther, and finer sediment grains enhanced transport distances compared to coarser ones. The findings suggest that both the properties of the sediment flow and the shape and density of microplastic particles play important roles in determining where plastics end up in marine sediments.
Turbidity currents regulate the transport and settling of microplastics in a deep-sea submarine canyon
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Researchers used sediment trap observations in Gaoping Canyon offshore Taiwan to study how turbidity currents transport and deposit microplastics in the deep sea. They found that turbidity current events significantly increased both microplastic abundance and settling flux, demonstrating that these underwater flows act as major conduits for moving plastic pollution into deep ocean environments. The study provides direct evidence that submarine canyons accumulate high microplastic concentrations partly because of the frequent turbidity currents that channel particles from shallow to deep waters.
Large volumes of microplastics are transported to the deep sea by turbidity currents
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Researchers provided the first direct field-scale evidence that turbidity currents in submarine canyons transport large volumes of microplastics including microfibers into the deep sea, demonstrating this mechanism as a major pathway delivering anthropogenic particles to deep seafloor environments.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.