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Estimating Microplastics in Deep Water
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This book chapter reviews methods for detecting and estimating microplastic concentrations in deep ocean waters, where most of the ocean's 'missing' plastic is thought to reside. It covers bulk water sampling, net sampling, and submersible pump approaches and discusses modeling of microplastic transport to depth. The chapter synthesizes evidence for microplastic accumulation in the deep sea.
Studies have documented the widespread presence of plastics within the deep sea, and it is considered that much of the aforementioned "lost" 99% of ocean plastics may have sunk away from the surface toward the ocean depths. Based on sampling techniques, the collection of microplastic samples in the subsurface water could be universally ascribed into three protocols: bulk water sampling, net sampling, and submersible pumps/in situ filtration devices. Modelling the transport of microplastics in the subsurface water could be of great importance to decipher the ultimate sink and further assess potential ecological effects of microplastics. The export of microplastics from surface waters can be modified by interactions with biotic and abiotic factors. As such, microplastics should be thought of as dynamic, rather than having fixed parameters. The majority of plastics enter the marine environment from land-based sources introduced at the ocean surface.
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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.