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Microplastics in the Marine Environment
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This chapter reviews how microplastics enter and move through marine environments, where they undergo weathering and degradation that changes their physical and chemical properties. Once in the ocean, these particles can transport pathogens and other pollutants, and their altered characteristics affect how toxic they are to marine organisms. Since humans consume seafood, marine microplastic pollution is a potential pathway for human exposure.
In recent years, microplastics (MPs) have emerged as a significant concern due to their widespread presence, non-biodegradable nature, and ability to adsorb, leach, and transport other pollutants in the marine environment. In addition, they pose a potential risk to human health through the consumption of seafood. MPs can enter the oceans by different pathways and can be transported over long trajectories, disseminating various types of pathogens, and organic and inorganic contaminants, in marine ecosystems. Once introduced into aquatic environments, MPs undergo various biotic and abiotic processes, including weathering and biodegradation. These processes alter their physicochemical characteristics, thereby influencing their toxicological impact on organisms. This chapter discusses how these plastic particles enter marine ecosystems, their dynamics once inside, and the degradation processes to which they are exposed, as well as advances in MPs sampling and analyzing techniques.
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Microplastics as contaminants in marine environment.
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This review summarizes the sources, distribution, and environmental impacts of microplastics in the marine environment, covering how they enter the ocean, where they accumulate, and what harms they cause to marine organisms. It also discusses the potential for microplastics to transfer up the food chain to humans through seafood.
Microplastic pollution in the marine environment: Sources, impacts, and degradation.
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This review summarizes existing research on microplastic pollution in the ocean, covering sources, effects on marine life, and degradation. Microplastics harm marine organisms across the food chain, from plankton to fish, affecting their growth, reproduction, immune systems, and behavior. Since humans consume many of these marine species, the widespread contamination raises concerns about microplastic exposure through seafood.
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This book chapter provides an overview of micro- and nanoplastic contamination in the marine environment, covering sources, pathways, and biological effects. It explains how ocean plastics fragment into progressively smaller particles and highlights concerns about their toxic effects on marine organisms. It is a review chapter aimed at summarizing the current state of knowledge on marine plastic pollution.
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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.