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Pelagic microplastics around an archipelago of the Equatorial Atlantic
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Researchers surveyed pelagic microplastic abundance around the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago in the Equatorial Atlantic, documenting the presence of microplastics at a remote mid-ocean location far from major urban centers. The findings extend the known geographic distribution of marine microplastic pollution to equatorial Atlantic waters and suggest widespread oceanic transport from distant sources.
Plastic marine debris is presently widely recognised as an important environmental pollutant. Such debris is reported in every habitat of the oceans, from urban tourist beaches to remote islands and from the ocean surface to submarine canyons, and is found buried and deposited on sandy and cobble beaches. Plastic marine debris varies from micrometres to several metres in length and is potentially ingested by animals of every level of the marine food web. Here, we show that synthetic polymers are present in subsurface plankton samples around Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago in the Equatorial Atlantic Ocean. To explain the distribution of microplastics around the Archipelago, we proposed a generalised linear model (GLM) that suggests the existence of an outward gradient of mean plastic-particle densities. Plastic items can be autochthonous or transported over large oceanic distances. One probable source is the small but persistent fishing fleet using the area.
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SPX Flow Inc, USA
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This study detected synthetic polymers in subsurface plankton samples collected around the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago in the Equatorial Atlantic Ocean, proposing a model of outward particle density gradient from the archipelago. The presence of microplastics in this remote equatorial location illustrates how far plastic pollution has spread from major sources.
Occurrence and characteristics of microplastics on insular beaches in the Western Tropical Atlantic Ocean
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Researchers sampled microplastics on beaches of three remote Brazilian oceanic islands in the western tropical Atlantic and found particles on two of the three islands, with fragments being the most common type. The presence of microplastics even on these isolated islands confirms that ocean currents carry plastic contamination far from coastal population centers.
The distribution of microplastics in the surface layer of the Atlantic Ocean from the subtropics to the equator according to visual analysis
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This study measured plastic particle contamination in Atlantic Ocean surface water from subtropical to equatorial latitudes, finding microplastics at nearly every sampling site. The results reinforce that microplastic pollution is pervasive throughout the open ocean, far from coastal pollution sources.
Occurrence and characteristics of microplastics on insular beaches in the Western Tropical Atlantic Ocean
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Researchers found microplastics on beaches of three remote Atlantic islands — Fernando de Noronha, Abrolhos, and Trindade — with plastic fragments predominating over fibers, demonstrating that even isolated island beaches far from population centers accumulate ocean plastic debris.
Microplastic abundance, distribution and composition along a latitudinal gradient in the Atlantic Ocean
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Researchers sampled sub-surface waters along a transect from the Bay of Biscay to Cape Town and found microplastics throughout the Atlantic Ocean, with the highest concentrations in the subtropical gyres. The study documents the latitudinal gradient of microplastic distribution in the Atlantic and identifies accumulation zones far from land.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.