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Exponential increase of plastic burial in mangrove sediments as a major plastic sink
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This study demonstrated that mangrove sediments are accumulating plastic at an exponential rate, sequestering plastics efficiently due to high sediment accretion rates in these coastal forests. The finding positions mangroves as a major long-term plastic sink that may help explain why less plastic is found in ocean surface waters than is estimated to enter the sea.
Sequestration of plastics in sediments is considered the ultimate sink of marine plastic pollution that would justify unexpectedly low loads found in surface waters. Here, we demonstrate that mangroves, generally supporting high sediment accretion rates, efficiently sequester plastics in their sediments. To this end, we extracted microplastics from dated sediment cores of the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf mangrove (Avicennia marina) forests along the Saudi Arabian coast. We found that microplastics <0.5 mm dominated in mangrove sediments, helping explain their scarcity, in surface waters. We estimate that 50 ± 30 and 110 ± 80 metric tons of plastic may have been buried since the 1930s in mangrove sediments across the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf, respectively. We observed an exponential increase in the plastic burial rate (8.5 ± 1.2% year-1) since the 1950s in line with the global plastic production increase, confirming mangrove sediments as long-term sinks for plastics.
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Mangrove forests as traps for marine litter
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Researchers surveyed 20 mangrove forests along the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf and confirmed that mangroves act as traps for marine plastic litter, with denser forests and proximity to shipping routes linked to higher debris accumulation. The study shows that ocean-based activities, not just land-based sources, are a major driver of plastic buildup in coastal mangrove ecosystems.
Depth Profiles of Microplastic in Sediment Cores in the Mangrove Area of Kuala Gula Mangrove, Malaysia
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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.