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Microplastics in marine environments: Occurrence, distribution and effects
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Beyond the visible litter washing up on beaches, our oceans are filled with tiny plastic fragments called microplastics that are too small to see but widespread in marine waters. This review pulls together existing research on where these particles come from, how they spread through ocean ecosystems, and how they may affect marine life, research that matters because these same particles can work their way up the food chain into the seafood we eat. While scientists are still studying the full health impact on humans, understanding how microplastics behave in the ocean is a crucial first step.
This report reviews the current understanding of the occurrence, distribution and effects of microplastics on the marine environment. \n\nMost members of the public are aware of, or have seen the impacts of, litter\npollution on the marine environment, so common are scenes of beaches\ncovered in litter. The extent of this pollution is such that the amount of\nmarine litter found along the Norwegian coast and the coast of Svalbard has\nbeen described as unacceptable. Much of this litter is in the form of plastic,\nwith global use and production steadily increasing since mass production\nstarted in the 1940s, annual global production is now close to 300 million\ntonnes. What we don’t see is plastic in the form of very small particles, socalled\n‘microplastics’ that pollutes much of the marine environment. This\nreport reviews the current understanding of the occurrence, distribution and\neffects of microplastics on the marine environment.
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