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The hyperbenthic environment: A forgotten habitat for plastic pollution
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This study mapped microplastic concentrations across different ocean zones in a Mediterranean Marine Protected Area and found a dramatic gradient: seafloor sediments contained roughly 1,000 times more microplastics than the water column, while the thin water layer just above the seafloor (the hyperbenthic zone) has been largely overlooked. Fibers dominated all zones, with polystyrene and cellulose acetate — materials from clothing and cigarette filters — being the most common types. The findings highlight the hyperbenthic zone as a critical but understudied microplastic reservoir in coastal marine ecosystems.
This study investigates the abundances and composition of microplastics (MP) among the shallow layers of a coastal Mediterranean Marine Protected Area (Cabrera MPA), seafloor sediments, hyperbenthic environment, and the water column. The mid waters samples were collected mid-way between the sea surface and the seafloor and hyperbenthic samples at the water layer adjacent to the seafloor. Sampling was carried out on patchiness seafloor of Posidonia oceanica meadows. The seafloor sediments showed a mean abundance of 378,769.20 ± 508,109.11 MPs/m, three orders of magnitude higher than the hyperbenthic (209.17 ± 117.07 MPs/m), and the mid waters layer (106.48 ± 107.17 MPs/m). An increasing vertical gradient in MP abundances, mainly composed of fibers was observed. Fibers were made-up mainly of polystyrene (PS, 25 %), expanded polystyrene (EPS, 18 %) and cellulose acetate (CA, 16 %). The results stress the need to increase efforts to find solutions to mitigate fiber pollution in the marine environment.
More Papers Like This
The Hyperbenthos: A forgotten habitat for plastic pollution
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Researchers investigated microplastic accumulation in the hyperbenthos — the layer of water just above the seafloor — in a Mediterranean marine protected area, finding that this habitat was heavily contaminated with plastic fibers compared to middle and surface waters. The study highlights the hyperbenthos as an overlooked but important zone for microplastic accumulation that affects the creatures living near the seafloor.
Breaking the paradigm: Marine sediments hold two-fold microplastics than sea surface waters and are dominated by fibers
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Researchers found that Mediterranean marine sediments contain approximately twice the microplastic concentration of sea surface waters, with fibers dominating across all habitats, challenging the paradigm that surface waters are the primary marine microplastic reservoir.
Ubiquitous vertical distribution of microfibers within the upper epipelagic layer of the western Mediterranean Sea
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Scientists found tiny plastic fibers scattered throughout the upper 50 meters of seawater in the western Mediterranean, not just floating on the surface, as most previous research has focused on. These microfibers, mostly smaller than 2mm and made from common plastics like polyethylene and polypropylene, were present at similar levels whether the water was in a protected marine area or not. Since this is the same water zone where fish and other marine life feed and grow, these findings suggest sea creatures throughout the water column, not just at the surface, may be exposed to plastic particles that could eventually make their way up the food chain to humans.
Microplastics spatiotemporal distribution and variability in marine habitats along the North-Western Mediterranean coastal waters.
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Researchers mapped microplastic distribution across multiple marine habitat types along the Mediterranean coast, examining spatial and temporal variability from the water surface to the sediment. The study revealed that microplastic abundance and composition differ substantially by habitat, underscoring the need for multi-compartment monitoring.
Microplastics spatiotemporal distribution and variability in marine habitats along the North-Western Mediterranean coastal waters.
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Researchers assessed microplastic spatiotemporal distribution across multiple Mediterranean marine habitat types including water surface, sediment, and biota, revealing significant variability by location and season. The multi-compartment approach showed that no single habitat type captures the full extent of microplastic contamination.
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