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How long for plastics to decompose in the deep sea?
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Researchers recovered 103 plastic debris items from deep-sea floors (746-3,997 m depth) in the South China Sea using a manned submersible and examined surface corrosion to assess long-term plastic degradation rates. They found abundant corrosion structures on polyethylene (the dominant type at 80%), with rod-like and filamentous features indicating biological and physical degradation, though the timeline for full decomposition remains uncertain.
The deep sea floor is recognised as one of the most important final destinations for plastic debris. It is not clear whether the plastic debris in the deep sea could be degraded. Likewise, little is known about how long plastics might last at the deep sea floor. A total of 103 plastic debris were recovered using the manned submersible "Shenhaiyongshi" on the deep sea floor (746-3997 m) of the South China Sea (SCS). We found that abundant corrosion structures were present on the surface of polyethylene (PE), which was the dominant type of plastic sample (80 %). The rod-like, filamentous and peanut-like morphologies of the corrosion structures are well in line with those of microorganisms, suggesting that they were derived from biodegradation. The calculation of volume loss of corroded PE showed that about 1.08-13.72 % PE were degraded. Assuming that the most degraded plastic reached the deep sea floor 40 years ago, these plastics will require about 292 years to be totally degraded. Our results provide unique insights into the fate of deep sea plastics and answer the unsolved question about how long plastics may persist in deep sea.
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Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.