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Article ? AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button. Tier 2 ? Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence. Detection Methods Environmental Sources Marine & Wildlife Sign in to save

From the sea surface to the deep seafloor: Microplastics prevail at all ocean depths of the HAUSGARTEN observatory (Arctic)

2018 1 citation ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Tekman, Mine, Gunnar Gerdts, Claudia Lorenz, Sebastian Primpke, Christiane Hasemann, Claudia Wekerle, Melanie Bergmann

Summary

Using in-situ pumps deployed at four depths (surface to 2500 m) at five Arctic Ocean stations, researchers found 16 to 8,750 microplastics per cubic meter comprising 15 polymer types throughout the water column. The study demonstrates that microplastics are not simply a surface phenomenon but pervade all depths in even remote Arctic waters.

Polymers
PA
Study Type Environmental

Although recent research indicates that microplastic (MP) has spread to all marine ecosystem compartments from the sea surface to the deep sea, our understanding of transport pathways is still limited. Currently, our knowledge of MP concentrations throughout the water column is largely based on model runs. To fill this gap, we deployed in-situ pumps at four different depths (sea surface, ~300m, ~1000m, near seafloor) at five stations of the HAUSGARTEN observatory (west of Svalbard). These pumps filtered 218–560 litres of seawater (> 10µm). Our analyses using µFTIR spectroscopy resulted in 16–8,750 MP m-3, comprising 15 different polymer types. Of the four deep stations (2500m depth), the northernmost station, which is located in the marginal ice zone, harboured the highest concentration (1,373 MP m-3) throughout the water column, and polyamide accounted for the largest proportion (28%). The surface waters had the highest MP concentrations at all stations with a decrease throughout the water column. Our results will be compared with trends in the vertical distribution of organic particles and discussed in the context of prevailing water masses and sea ice coverage. Still, our preliminary results highlight that noticeable amounts of MP are present throughout the water column, Earth’s largest biome, which has been largely neglected in previous estimates of plastic in the world’s oceans.

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