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Environmental Sources
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Hitchhiking into the Deep: How Microplastic Particles are Exported through the Biological Carbon Pump in the North Atlantic Ocean
Environmental Science & Technology2022
73 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 45
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Xiangtao Jiang,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Lindsay Scheidemann,
Cathleen Schlundt,
Lindsay Scheidemann,
Xiangtao Jiang,
Xiangtao Jiang,
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Xiangtao Jiang,
Anja Engel,
Anja Engel,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Isabel Goßmann,
Isabel Goßmann,
Isabel Goßmann,
Isabel Goßmann,
Isabel Goßmann,
Isabel Goßmann,
Isabel Goßmann,
Isabel Goßmann,
Isabel Goßmann,
Isabel Goßmann,
Isabel Goßmann,
Isabel Goßmann,
Isabel Goßmann,
Isabel Goßmann,
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Cathleen Schlundt,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Isabel Goßmann,
Isabel Goßmann,
Isabel Goßmann,
Isabel Goßmann,
Isabel Goßmann,
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Anja Engel,
Anja Engel,
Anja Engel,
Luisa Galgani,
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Isabel Goßmann,
Isabel Goßmann,
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Luisa Galgani,
Xiangtao Jiang,
Cathleen Schlundt,
Cathleen Schlundt,
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Anja Engel,
Anja Engel,
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Luisa Galgani,
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Zhanfei Liu,
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Xiangtao Jiang,
Xiangtao Jiang,
Anja Engel,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Luisa Galgani,
Anja Engel,
Anja Engel,
Anja Engel,
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Zhanfei Liu,
Zhanfei Liu,
Zhanfei Liu,
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Lindsay Scheidemann,
Luisa Galgani,
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Lindsay Scheidemann,
Lindsay Scheidemann,
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Zhanfei Liu,
Lindsay Scheidemann,
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Cathleen Schlundt,
Cathleen Schlundt,
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Anja Engel,
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Anja Engel,
Anja Engel,
Lindsay Scheidemann,
Lindsay Scheidemann,
Anja Engel,
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Anja Engel,
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Luisa Galgani,
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Barbara M. Scholz‐Böttcher
Summary
This study investigated how microplastic particles are exported from the ocean surface to the deep sea through the biological carbon pump in the North Atlantic. Microplastics were found associated with sinking organic aggregates (marine snow), fecal pellets, and zooplankton, demonstrating biological packaging as a key mechanism for deep-sea plastic transport.
Study Type
Environmental
Understanding residence times of plastic in the ocean is a major knowledge gap in plastic pollution studies. Observations report a large mismatch between plastic load estimates from worldwide production and disposal and actual plastics floating at the sea surface. Surveys of the water column, from the surface to the deep sea, are rare. Most recent work, therefore, addressed the "missing plastic" question using modeling or laboratory approaches proposing biofouling and degradation as the main removal processes in the ocean. Through organic matrices, plastic can affect the biogeochemical and microbial cycling of carbon and nutrients. For the first time, we provide <i>in situ</i> measured vertical fluxes of microplastics deploying drifting sediment traps in the North Atlantic Gyre from 50 m down to 600 m depth, showing that through biogenic polymers plastic can be embedded into rapidly sinking particles also known as marine snow. We furthermore show that the carbon contained in plastic can represent up to 3.8% of the total downward flux of particulate organic carbon. Our results shed light on important pathways regulating the transport of microplastics in marine systems and on potential interactions with the marine carbon cycle, suggesting microplastic removal through the "biological plastic pump".