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A novel method enabling the accurate quantification of microplastics in the water column of deep ocean
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A new sampling method was developed to accurately measure microplastics in the deep ocean water column, addressing gaps left by traditional net trawls that miss very small particles. Reliable deep-sea sampling is critical since the deep ocean is thought to be a major sink for global microplastic pollution.
Little information concerning microplastic (MP) pollution in the deep ocean is currently available, and a huge gap exists between sampling methodology and obtaining an authentic dataset. Verified sampling methodology is a fundamental step in the accurate determination of MP pollution in the pelagic environment, of which sample volume is a crucial factor. To address this methodological challenge, in situ filtration technology, a novel sampling method for microplastics in the water column, was proposed and investigated. On 27 April 2019, we took the East China Sea as a typical example in order to determine the relationship between sample volume and MP abundance. Analysis indicated that the filtrated volume has an impact on MP quantification and significant exponential regression between the sample volume and MPs was observed. This investigation indicated that a small volume sample could easily lead to MP overestimation, with at least 8 m water required to obtain reliable data.
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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.
Estimating Microplastics in Deep Water
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This book chapter reviews methods for detecting and estimating microplastic concentrations in deep ocean waters, where most of the ocean's 'missing' plastic is thought to reside. It covers bulk water sampling, net sampling, and submersible pump approaches and discusses modeling of microplastic transport to depth. The chapter synthesizes evidence for microplastic accumulation in the deep sea.
Microplastic pollution in deep-sea sediments
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Researchers analyzed deep-sea sediment cores and found microplastics present at depth, providing early evidence that deep-sea sediments globally accumulate microplastic pollution far from coastlines and at the seafloor.
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Researchers explored microplastic pollution at different ocean depths in the Western Pacific Warm Pool, comparing results from two different sampling methods used simultaneously. They found discrepancies between CTD water samplers and large-volume in-situ filtration systems, highlighting the methodological challenges of deep-sea microplastic research. The study provides new data on the vertical distribution of microplastics in a poorly studied region of the open ocean.
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.