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Distributions of microplastics and larger anthropogenic debris in Norfolk Canyon, Baltimore Canyon, and the adjacent continental slope (Western North Atlantic Margin, U.S.A.)
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Researchers documented microplastics and larger anthropogenic debris in sediment cores and ROV samples from Norfolk Canyon and Baltimore Canyon on the U.S. Atlantic continental slope, finding debris accumulated at depth likely through turbidity currents and downslope transport.
Anthropogenic debris has been reported in all studied marine environments, including the deepest parts of the sea. Finding areas of accumulation and methods of transport for debris are important to determine potential impacts on marine life. This study analyzed both sediment cores and Remotely Operated Vehicle video to determine the density and distribution of debris, including both micro- and macroplastics, in Norfolk and Baltimore canyons. The average microplastic density in Norfolk Canyon sediment was 37.30 plastic particles m within the canyon and 21.03 particles m on the adjacent slope, suggesting that microplastics could accumulate within submarine canyons. In video transects from both Norfolk and Baltimore canyons, the largest amounts of macroplastic were recorded near the canyon heads. Our findings contribute to a growing evidence base that canyons and their associated benthic invertebrate communities are important repositories and conduits for debris to the deep sea.
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Microplastic accumulation in deep-sea sediments from the Rockall Trough
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Microplastics were found throughout sediment cores from over 2,000 meters depth in the North Atlantic's Rockall Trough, with concentrations decreasing with sediment age but extending well below the depth predicted by recent plastic production history, suggesting physical redistribution into older sediment layers. Microplastic abundance correlated with sediment porosity, indicating that pore water transport moves particles vertically after deposition.
The combined role of near-bed currents and sub-seafloor processes in the transport and pervasive burial of microplastics in submarine canyons
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Researchers studied how near-bed currents and sub-seafloor processes interact in submarine canyons to transport microplastics to deep-sea sediments, finding that canyon systems record temporal trends in plastic pollution but that physical disturbance can obscure or rework the depositional signal.
Distribution of microplastics in bathyal- to hadal-depth sediments and transport process along the deep-sea canyon and the Kuroshio Extension in the Northwest Pacific
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Researchers mapped microplastic distribution from shallow to ultra-deep ocean sediments in the Northwest Pacific, including Sagami Bay and areas beneath the Kuroshio Extension current. The study found the highest microplastic concentrations in abyssal stations and suggests two distinct transport pathways: land-sourced microplastics move to hadal depths via turbidity currents along submarine canyons, while ocean-surface microplastics sink directly to the abyssal plains below.
Microplastic transport, deposition and burial in seafloor sediments by turbidity currents
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This conference abstract describes how turbidity currents — underwater avalanches of sediment-laden water — can transport microplastics from submarine canyon heads to deep seafloor basins, creating localized hotspots of plastic accumulation. This mechanism may explain why deep-sea sediments contain some of the highest microplastic concentrations measured anywhere on Earth.
Untangling microfibres: Pervasive plastic pollution in submarine canyons
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Researchers analyzed sediment push-cores from the Whittard Canyon, UK, to examine microplastic and microfibre transport and burial in submarine environments, finding that microplastic pollution is pervasive even 500 m above the canyon thalweg and that sub-seafloor processes obscure any temporal signal of historical plastic production.
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.