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Article ? AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button. Tier 2 ? Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence. Detection Methods Environmental Sources Marine & Wildlife Sign in to save

A threshold model of plastic waste fragmentation: New insights into the distribution of microplastics in the ocean and its evolution over time

PubMed 2023 3 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 35 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Matthieu George, Matthieu George, Pascale Fabre Pascale Fabre, Matthieu George, Pascale Fabre Matthieu George, Matthieu George, Matthieu George, Pascale Fabre, Pascale Fabre, Pascale Fabre Frédéric Nallet, Matthieu George, Frédéric Nallet, Frédéric Nallet, Matthieu George, Matthieu George, Pascale Fabre, Pascale Fabre Pascale Fabre Pascale Fabre, Pascale Fabre Pascale Fabre, Pascale Fabre, Frédéric Nallet, Frédéric Nallet, Pascale Fabre Frédéric Nallet, Pascale Fabre Pascale Fabre, Pascale Fabre, Matthieu George, Pascale Fabre Frédéric Nallet, Pascale Fabre, Pascale Fabre Pascale Fabre Pascale Fabre, Pascale Fabre Pascale Fabre, Pascale Fabre Pascale Fabre Pascale Fabre, Pascale Fabre, Pascale Fabre, Matthieu George, Matthieu George, Matthieu George, Matthieu George, Matthieu George, Frédéric Nallet, Pascale Fabre Pascale Fabre, Matthieu George, Matthieu George, Pascale Fabre Pascale Fabre Pascale Fabre, Pascale Fabre, Matthieu George, Pascale Fabre, Pascale Fabre

Summary

Researchers developed a fragmentation model for plastic particles in the ocean that postulates a critical size threshold below which further fragmentation becomes extremely unlikely, producing a predicted abundance peak around 1 mm in agreement with field data. The model incorporates realistic environmental input rates and degradation kinetics to project the evolution of microplastic particle size distributions over time.

Study Type Environmental

Plastic pollution in the aquatic environment has been assessed for many years by ocean waste collection expeditions around the globe or by river sampling. While the total amount of plastic produced worldwide is well documented, the amount of plastic found in the ocean, the distribution of particles on its surface and its evolution over time are still the subject of much debate. In this article, we propose a general fragmentation model, postulating the existence of a critical size below which particle fragmentation becomes extremely unlikely. In the frame of this model, an abundance peak appears for sizes around 1mm, in agreement with real environmental data. Using, in addition, a realistic exponential waste feed to the ocean, we discuss the relative impact of fragmentation and feed rates, and the temporal evolution of microplastics (MP) distribution. New conclusions on the temporal trend of MP pollution are drawn.

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