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CalcUlating the strength of the Plastic pump In counteracting the Deep export of Oceanic carbon (CUPIDO)
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Researchers deployed a novel Ocean Plastic Incubator Chamber (OPIC) at the EMSO South Adriatic Sea Regional Facility to study how meso- and microplastics degrade in the open ocean and how plastic pollution interacts with the marine carbon cycle. The CUPIDO project investigated whether the 'plastic pump' counteracts deep ocean carbon export, exploring links between plastic degradation and climate change.
The document is a summary of the activities carried out by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) at the EMSO Regional Facility, South Adriatic Sea, under the EMSO ERIC Physical Access Programme. The project focused on the investigation of the interaction of marine ecosystem, plastic pollution and carbon cycle to understand how this interaction is impacting the climate change. Thanks to the development of a unique device, the Ocean Plastic Incubator Chamber (OPIC), designed by BAS and deployed on the mooring platform at the EMSO South Adriatic Sea Regional Facility, the team studied the plastic degradation in the open ocean, evaluating how exposed pre-selected plastic particles (meso- and microplastics) in the natural marine environment alter over long time scales.
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CalcUlating the strength of the Plastic pump In counteracting the Deep export of Oceanic carbon (CUPIDO)
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Researchers deployed a novel Ocean Plastic Incubator Chamber (OPIC) at the EMSO South Adriatic Sea Regional Facility to study how meso- and microplastics degrade in the open ocean and how plastic pollution interacts with the marine carbon cycle. The CUPIDO project investigated whether the 'plastic pump' counteracts deep ocean carbon export, exploring links between plastic degradation and climate change.
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Researchers designed and tested an Ocean Plastic Incubator Chamber system that can be deployed at sea to monitor how plastic materials degrade under real ocean conditions in situ. The device maintains controlled conditions while exposing plastics to natural marine processes. This tool enables direct measurement of plastic degradation rates in the ocean, filling a key gap in understanding how plastics become microplastics.
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This paper explores whether microplastic pollution in the ocean could interfere with carbon sequestration processes, including the biological carbon pump that moves carbon to the deep sea through sinking organic matter. If microplastics disrupt phytoplankton, zooplankton, or marine snow formation, they could undermine one of the ocean's key roles in regulating global climate.
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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.