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Tsunami-triggered dispersal and deposition of microplastics in marine environments and their use in dating recent turbidite deposits
Summary
This study found that a tsunami may have triggered an abrupt deposition event that spread microplastics across continental shelf and deep-sea sediments near Japan, showing that extreme ocean events can redistribute plastic pollution and that microplastic layers can serve as chronological markers in marine sediments.
Abstract Microplastics have become widely dispersed throughout the marine environment in and around Japan since the 1960s, which corresponds to the onset of mass plastic production and use in this country. Our study documents a possible abrupt microplastic depositional event in continental shelf and deep-sea environments triggered by a tsunami. The sediment layers contaminated by microplastics correspond with sedimentary horizons where 137 Cs signals were measured, indicating deposition after 1960s nuclear tests. The microplastics were observed in the 2011 Tohoku-Oki tsunami deposits. Tsunamis can thus contribute to the wide dispersal of microplastics from coastal to deep-sea areas, and these anthropogenic particles can be used to date very recent turbidite deposits.
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