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Dynamics of microplastics across the air–sea interface: enrichment in the sea-surface microlayer, foam, and links to regional biogeochemistry
Summary
Scientists found that tiny plastic particles are heavily concentrated in the thin layer at the ocean's surface and in sea foam - up to 100 times more than in deeper water below. These microplastics are constantly moving between the air and sea, with the smallest pieces traveling fastest and potentially spreading pollution over long distances. This matters because these surface waters and sea foam are where marine life feeds and where people swim, meaning we're likely exposed to much higher levels of plastic pollution than previously thought.
We used a simultaneous, multi-compartment sampling approach to quantify microplastics (MPs) in the coastal zone of the Persian Gulf during winter and summer. Samples were collected from subsurface seawater, the sea-surface microlayer (SML), sea foam, suspended atmospheric particles and deposited dust. MPs were dominated by fibres of varied sizes and colours and, based on µ-Raman analysis of a subset, comprised thermoplastics, thermoplastic elastomers, synthetic rubbers and resins. MPs were strongly enriched in the SML and in sea foam relative to underlying seawater (enrichment factors on the order of 10², using SML thickness estimates up to 1000 µm), indicating the SML is a key reservoir and mediator of air–sea exchange. Estimated settling velocities in the lower atmosphere (derived from suspended concentrations and depositional fluxes) ranged from ~28 to 47 m h⁻¹, and size- and shape-dependent fractionation was evident: the finest fraction (