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Below the Great Pacific Garbage Patch: More Garbage
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This popular science piece describes new research finding substantial quantities of microplastics in the deep ocean below the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The article explains how microplastics sink and accumulate at depth, extending the pollution problem well below what surface surveys can detect.
New research is finding there’s more to marine debris than just what appears near the ocean surface, including tons of microplastics extending hundreds of meters into the deep.
More Papers Like This
First evidence of plastic fallout from the North Pacific Garbage Patch
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Researchers provided the first direct evidence that plastic debris from the North Pacific Garbage Patch sinks into the deep ocean, with plastic concentrations declining in a predictable pattern as depth increases. The polymer types found in the deep water matched those floating at the surface, confirming that surface garbage patches are a source of deep-sea plastic contamination.
Microplastic pollution in deep-sea sediments and organisms of the Western Pacific Ocean
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Researchers collected deep-sea sediment and organism samples from multiple sites in the western Pacific Ocean and found microplastics at all locations sampled, with depth, distance from land, and current patterns influencing accumulation, confirming the western Pacific deep sea as a significant microplastic sink.
From Surface Hotspots to Abyssal Sediments: Vertical Distribution of (Micro)plastics in the North Pacific Ocean
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Scientists found tiny plastic particles throughout the entire depth of the Pacific Ocean, from the surface all the way down to the seafloor over 3 miles deep. This shows that plastic pollution has spread much further into our oceans than previously known, contaminating even the deepest parts of the sea. This matters because these microplastics can enter the food chain through fish and seafood that people eat, potentially affecting human health.
Plastics from Surface to Seabed: Vertical Distribution of (Micro)plastic Particles in the North Pacific Ocean
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Researchers investigated the vertical distribution of microplastics across the water column and deep-sea sediments (>5 km) in the North Pacific Ocean, finding concentrations of 8-2600 items/m3 in the water column and 1100-3200 items/kg in sediments, with distinct patterns across the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, Papahanaumokuakea Monument, and a less-polluted open ocean site.
Plastics from Surfaceto Seabed: Vertical Distributionof (Micro)plastic Particles in the North Pacific Ocean
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Researchers investigated the vertical distribution of microplastics from surface waters to deep-sea sediments (>5 km) in the North Pacific Ocean, documenting concentrations of 8-2600 items/m3 in the water column and 1100-3200 items/kg in sediments across the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, Papahanaumokuakea Monument, and a less-polluted reference site.
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.