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Abundance and composition of small floating plastics in the eastern and southern sectors of the Atlantic Ocean
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Researchers sampled floating plastics in the eastern and southern Atlantic Ocean during two research cruises and found microplastics in 69% of net tows, with secondary microplastics dominant and median densities of 1,583 items per square kilometer.
We report the distribution of floating plastics in the eastern and southern sectors of the Atlantic Ocean based on 35 neuston net trawl samples collected during two research cruises in 2016 and 2017. Plastic particles (>200 μm) were found in 69% of net tows, with median densities of 1583 items·km and 5.1 g·km. Most particles (80% of 158) were microplastics (<5 mm) of secondary origin (88%), followed by industrial pellets (5%), thin plastic films (4%) and lines/filaments (3%). Due to the large mesh size we used, textile fibers were not considered in this study. μFTIR analysis revealed that most particles found in the net were made of polyethylene (63%), followed by polypropylene (32%) and polystyrene (1%). A transect between 0 and 18°E along 35°S in the South Atlantic Ocean revealed higher densities farther west, supporting the accumulation of floating plastics in the South Atlantic gyre, mainly west of 10°E.
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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.