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Microplastic accumulation in deep-sea sediments from the Rockall Trough
Summary
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.
Microplastics are widely dispersed through the marine environment. Few studies have assessed the long-term or historic prevalence of microplastics, yet acquiring such data can inform their distribution, transport and the environmental risks posed. To quantify the distribution and polymer types temporally, sediment cores were collected from >2000 m water depth in the Rockall Trough, North Atlantic Ocean. As hypothesized, a significant negative trend was observed in the frequency of microplastics with increasing sediment age, however there was an increase in polymer diversity. Microplastics were pervasive throughout the sediment analysed (10 cm depth), yet lead-210 (Pb) activities were confined to the upper 4 cm, indicating this layer to be ~150 years old and thus the presence of microplastics far exceed the production of modern plastic. A number of mechanisms, including sediment reworking, could redistribute microplastics vertically. Additionally, microplastics abundance was significantly correlated with sediment porosity, suggesting interstitial transport via pore waters.