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The role of PFAS in unsettling ocean carbon sequestration
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Researchers reviewed how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS — a class of synthetic "forever chemicals") threaten ocean carbon sequestration by inhibiting phytoplankton photosynthesis, disrupting zooplankton reproduction, and impairing the marine biological pump that transfers carbon to the deep ocean, potentially worsening greenhouse gas accumulation.
Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and global climate change have attracted worldwide attention. PFAS have been found all across the planet, from the polar regions to the global ocean. Global oceans have emerged as a substantial sink for the carbon in the environment due to their remarkable capacity to absorb atmospheric carbon. Oceans absorb around 24% of the world's CO emissions. Thus, the ocean plays a prominent role in the earth's carbon cycle. However, the widespread application of PFAS in a wide range of products and the inefficient management of PFAS-containing wastes made them ubiquitous pollutants, which are increasingly getting as a pollutant of emerging concern. Marine PFAS pollutants can produce harmful effects on gas exchange and the ocean's carbon cycle. Thus, it leads to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, which eventually adversely affects global warming and climate change. Consequently, threats of marine PFAS to oceans carbon sequestration are discussed in this paper. Marine PFAS pollutants adversely affect the following sectors: (1) The growth and photosynthesis of phytoplankton, (2) development and reproduction of zooplankton by causing toxicity in zooplankton, (3) marine biological pomp, and (4) carbon stock of oceans. In this way, marine PFAS can pose a threat to ocean carbon sequestration. It is expected that this study can develop knowledge about the potential impact of PFAS on ocean carbon sequestration. However, the need for further research to investigate the hidden dimensions of this issue, including the potential scope and scale of this impact, should not be overlooked.
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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.
From pollution to ocean warming: The climate impacts of marine microplastics
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This review examined the largely overlooked role of marine microplastics in driving climate change, covering how they disrupt oceanic carbon pumps, alter biogeochemical cycling, and directly emit greenhouse gases during UV degradation. The authors found that microplastics reduce the efficiency of the biological carbon pump by impairing marine organisms that sequester carbon, creating a feedback loop between plastic pollution and ocean warming.
Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS): Do They Matter to Aquatic Ecosystems?
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This review examines PFAS, the persistent 'forever chemicals' widely used in consumer products, and their growing threat to aquatic ecosystems. Evidence indicates that PFAS accumulate in aquatic organisms, disrupt hormones, and can alter how other pollutants behave in the environment. The research is relevant to microplastic concerns because PFAS are commonly found in plastic products and can leach from microplastics into water.
Impact of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) on the marine environment: Raising awareness, challenges, legislation, and mitigation approaches under the One Health concept
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This review examines how PFAS (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances), often called 'forever chemicals,' are contaminating marine environments and interacting with other pollutants including microplastics. PFAS accumulate in marine food chains and can combine with microplastics to amplify toxic effects on ocean wildlife and ultimately human health through seafood consumption. The authors call for stronger regulations and cleanup strategies under a One Health approach that connects ocean, animal, and human well-being.
Microplastics magnify inhibitive effects of perfluorooctanoic acid on the marine microbial loop
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Researchers studied how microplastics interact with a common industrial chemical called PFOA in ocean ecosystems. They found that polystyrene microplastics significantly amplified the harmful effects of PFOA on tiny marine organisms essential to carbon cycling, including bacteria and plankton. The study suggests that when these two pollutants co-exist in seawater, the ecological risks are considerably worse than from either pollutant alone.
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