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Recent Advances on Impact, Hazard, and Microbial Bioremediation of Microplastics in Marine Ecosystems: Challenges and Artificial Intelligence Way Forward
Summary
This comprehensive review of marine microplastic research spanning 1966-2025 analyzed weathering mechanisms, ecological impacts, pollutant transport roles, and emerging AI-assisted detection and bioremediation strategies. Understanding how microplastics persist and move through marine food webs is essential for estimating cumulative human exposure via seafood consumption and guiding policy interventions.
Microplastic (MP) pollution has become a widespread and complicated threat to marine ecosystems, causing major problems for both the environment and the community. This review puts together and analyzes published literature between 1966 and 2025. In this review, an extensive analysis was conducted to explore notable progressions on microplastics inside marine ecosystems, encompassing diverse aspects. Their formation through weathering and degradation mechanisms were reviewed. This review emphasized the long-lasting nature of microplastics in marine ecosystems. An in-depth review of the detrimental consequences of microplastics on marine ecosystems was highlighted, spanning the physical damage inflicted upon species, the effects resulting from ingestion, and their function as transporters for pollutants. We examined the needed regulatory environment and comprehensive policy-frameworks to effectively tackle this widespread global issue. Additionally, the contribution of microorganisms in the degradation of microplastics, providing valuable knowledge on potential strategies for bioremediation and the underlying microbiological mechanisms was studied. This analysis highlights the complex biological interdependencies and subsequent consequences within marine food chains, thus emphasizing the urgent need for proactive measures. This review takes a new approach by using Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a helpful tool for finding MP, modeling it, and improving the efficiency of microbial degradation. We look at how AI-assisted spectroscopy, machine learning models, and autonomous surveillance technologies can help make real-time remediation systems. This review connects environmental microbiology, toxicology, and data science to create a transdisciplinary roadmap for dealing with marine microplastic pollution. It also suggests flexible plans for future biotechnological and regulatory actions.