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Microplastics increase the marine production of particulate forms of organic matter
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Researchers added polystyrene microbeads to oligotrophic seawater mesocosms and monitored organic matter and microbial dynamics over 12 days, finding that microplastics significantly increased the production of organic carbon and its aggregation into gel-like particles. The results suggest that microplastic-stimulated biofilm formation enhances particulate organic matter production with potential consequences for the marine biological pump and plastic transport.
Abstract Microplastics are a major environmental challenge, being ubiquitous and persistent as to represent a new component in all marine environments. As any biogenic particle, microplastics provide surfaces for microbial growth and biofilm production, which largely consists of carbohydrates and proteins. Biofilms influence microbial activity and modify particle buoyancy, and therefore control the fate of microplastics at sea. In a simulated ‘plastic ocean’, three mesocosms containing oligotrophic seawater were amended with polystyrene microbeads and compared to three control mesocosms. The evolution of organic matter, microbial communities and nutrient concentrations was monitored over 12 days. The results indicated that microplastics increased the production of organic carbon and its aggregation into gel particulates. The observed increase of gel-like organics has implications on the marine biological pump as well as the transport of microplastics in the ocean.
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Using six large-scale mesocosms filled with 3 m3 of oligotrophic Eastern Mediterranean seawater, this study examined how 30 μm polystyrene microbeads affect organic matter dynamics at the sea-surface microlayer over 12 days. Microplastics increased biomass production and enrichment of carbohydrate-like and proteinaceous marine gel compounds at the sea surface, resulting in a 3% reduction in dissolved CO2 in the underlying water. The findings indicate microplastic pollution modifies the biogenic sea-surface layer in ways that affect marine CO2 uptake.
Marine plastics alter the organic matter composition of the air-sea boundary layer, with influences on CO2 exchange: a large-scale analysis method to explore future ocean scenarios
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Using six large-scale mesocosms filled with 3 m3 of oligotrophic Eastern Mediterranean seawater, this study examined how 30 μm polystyrene microbeads affect organic matter dynamics at the sea-surface microlayer over 12 days. Microplastics increased biomass production and enrichment of carbohydrate-like and proteinaceous marine gel compounds at the sea surface, resulting in a 3% reduction in dissolved CO2 in the underlying water. The findings indicate microplastic pollution modifies the biogenic sea-surface layer in ways that affect marine CO2 uptake.
Marine plastics alter the organic matter composition of the air-sea boundary layer, with influences on CO2 exchange: a large-scale analysis method to explore future ocean scenarios
AI summary Read the abstract
Using six large-scale mesocosms filled with 3 m3 of oligotrophic Eastern Mediterranean seawater, this study examined how 30 μm polystyrene microbeads affect organic matter dynamics at the sea-surface microlayer over 12 days. Microplastics increased biomass production and enrichment of carbohydrate-like and proteinaceous marine gel compounds at the sea surface, resulting in a 3% reduction in dissolved CO2 in the underlying water. The findings indicate microplastic pollution modifies the biogenic sea-surface layer in ways that affect marine CO2 uptake.
Marine plastics alter the organic matter composition of the air-sea boundary layer, with influences on CO2 exchange: a large-scale analysis method to explore future ocean scenarios
AI summary Read the abstract
Using six large-scale mesocosms filled with 3 m3 of oligotrophic Eastern Mediterranean seawater, this study examined how 30 μm polystyrene microbeads affect organic matter dynamics at the sea-surface microlayer over 12 days. Microplastics increased biomass production and enrichment of carbohydrate-like and proteinaceous marine gel compounds at the sea surface, resulting in a 3% reduction in dissolved CO2 in the underlying water. The findings indicate microplastic pollution modifies the biogenic sea-surface layer in ways that affect marine CO2 uptake.
Marine plastics alter the organic matter composition of the air-sea boundary layer, with influences on CO2 exchange: a large-scale analysis method to explore future ocean scenarios
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers used six large-scale mesocosms filled with Mediterranean seawater to simulate high microplastic concentration scenarios, finding that polystyrene microbeads increased microbial biomass production and organic matter enrichment in the sea-surface microlayer, with potential implications for CO2 gas exchange at the air-sea boundary.
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