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Move Over Diamonds -- Plastics are Forever: How the Rise of Plastic Pollution in Water Can be Regulated
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This paper reviewed the evidence for microplastic ingestion and associated effects in large whale species, synthesizing data from stranded individuals, fecal sampling, and model-based exposure estimates. The review found consistent evidence of microplastic ingestion across baleen and toothed whale species globally, with filter-feeding behavior and surface feeding particularly increasing exposure risk, but noted a critical lack of chronic toxicological data for cetaceans.
Plastics are now virtually everywhere in our modern society.We drink out of them, eat off of them, sit on them, and even drive in them.They're durable, lightweight, cheap, and can be made into virtually anything.But it is these useful properties of plastics, which make them so harmful when they end up in the environment.Plastics, like diamonds, are forever! 1
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Are baleen whales exposed to the threat of microplastics? A case study of the Mediterranean fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
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This case study estimated how many microplastics Mediterranean fin whales and basking sharks might ingest through filter feeding, using feeding rate data and measured microplastic concentrations. The study raised concern that large filter feeders accumulate significant plastic loads and that the associated chemical burden from sorbed pollutants may pose health risks to these protected species.
Cetaceans as Ocean Health Indicators of Marine Litter Impact at Global Scale
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This review synthesized global evidence on how marine litter, including both macro- and micro-scale plastic, impacts cetacean species through entanglement and ingestion. It called for better understanding of current and predicted impacts to inform conservation measures for whale and dolphin populations.
Plastic pollution and ocean giants: Investigating the extent and impacts of plastic ingestion by marine megafauna
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This review examined the extent to which large ocean-going animals such as whales and whale sharks ingest and are harmed by plastic pollution, synthesizing data from stranding records and feeding observations. The evidence indicates that plastic ingestion is widespread among ocean giants, with documented cases of mortality and sublethal effects.
Ingestion of microplastics by fish and other prey organisms of cetaceans, exemplified for two large baleen whale species
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Researchers reviewed microplastic contamination in the prey species of minke and sei whales, finding microplastics were widespread in krill, fish, and other whale food. Since cetaceans consume large quantities of these prey, they are likely ingesting significant amounts of microplastics indirectly through their diet.
Field measurements reveal exposure risk to microplastic ingestion by filter-feeding megafauna
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Researchers combined ocean microplastic data with high-resolution whale feeding measurements to estimate how much plastic blue, fin, and humpback whales ingest in the California Current Ecosystem. They found that whales likely consume millions of microplastic particles per day, primarily through contaminated prey rather than direct filtration of water. The study reveals that filter-feeding whales face far greater microplastic exposure than previously estimated.
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.