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Organic additive release from plastic to seawater is lower under deep-sea conditions
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Researchers found that high underwater pressure in the deep sea slows the leaching of heavy chemical additives (like phthalates) from plastic debris, but deep-sea microbes actually accelerate additive release compared to abiotic conditions alone. This means plastic sinking through the ocean continuously releases chemical pollutants, with microbial activity playing a larger role in additive contamination than pressure alone.
Plastic garbage patches at the ocean surface are symptomatic of a wider pollution affecting the whole marine environment. Sinking of plastic debris increasingly appears to be an important process in the global fate of plastic in the ocean. However, there is insufficient knowledge about the processes affecting plastic distributions and degradation and how this influences the release of additives under varying environmental conditions, especially in deep-sea environments. Here we show that in abiotic conditions increasing hydrostatic pressure inhibits the leaching of the heaviest organic additives such as tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate and diisononyl phthalate from polyethylene and polyvinylchloride materials, whereas deep-sea and surface marine prokaryotes promote the release of all targeted additives (phthalates, bisphenols, organophosphate esters). This study provides empirical evidences for more efficient additive release at the ocean surface than in deep seawater, where the major plastic burden is supposed to transit through before reaching the sediment compartment.
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Metal leaching from plastics in the marine environment: An ignored role of biofilm.
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Researchers investigated how biofilms on marine plastics influence metal leaching, finding that microbial colonization significantly alters the release rates of metal additives from common polymers, representing a previously underappreciated pathway for heavy metal transfer from plastic debris into marine ecosystems.
Degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP) plastics in seawater
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Laboratory experiments simulating deep ocean conditions found that PET and PP plastic degradation in seawater increased with time, with pressure having minimal effect on degradation rate, suggesting that understanding plastic carbon footprint must account for deep-sea degradation dynamics.
Microbial communities on plastic particles in surface waters differ from subsurface waters of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre
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Researchers sampled plastic particles from the ocean surface down to 2,000 meters in the North Pacific and found that microbial communities on deep, sinking plastics are rapidly replaced by microbes from surrounding water, suggesting that plastic particles are not an efficient vehicle for transporting surface microorganisms into the deep sea.
Enrichment of potential polyvinyl chloride and polycarbonate microplastic-degrading bacteria and their distribution characteristics in deep-sea cold seep
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Scientists discovered bacteria living in deep-sea "cold seep" environments (areas where gas and fluids leak from the ocean floor) that can actually break down PVC and polycarbonate plastics—two common types of microplastics found in packaging, pipes, and consumer goods. This matters because microplastics have been found throughout our food chain and even in human bodies, so identifying natural microbes that degrade these pollutants could eventually lead to new tools for cleaning up plastic waste before it accumulates further in the environment we depend on. That said, this is early-stage research showing these bacteria *can* break down plastic in control
Revealing the response of microbial communities to polyethylene micro(nano)plastics exposure in cold seep sediment
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Researchers explored how polyethylene micro- and nanoplastics affect microbial communities in cold seep ocean sediments over a 120-day experiment. While the plastics did not significantly change overall microbial diversity, they did alter the community structure and affected methane-related metabolic processes. The study suggests that plastic pollution could interfere with important deep-sea biogeochemical cycles, including those involved in methane regulation.
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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.