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Plastics pollution: pathways, impacts, and regulatory challenges in marine environments
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This review synthesizes research on microplastic pollution across the world's oceans, covering sources from land-based activities, rivers, fishing, and aquaculture. Researchers found that polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene account for over 60% of recovered ocean microplastics and that these particles affect organisms from single-celled life to large marine animals. The estimated economic losses from microplastic damage to marine ecosystem services range from 1.18 to 2.16 trillion USD, roughly 2% of global GDP.
This review synthesizes existing literature on microplastics in marine ecosystems from various oceanic regions. Microplastics in marine environment originate from a range of sources, including land-based activities, rivers inputs and oceanic-based sources such as fishing, aquaculture, tourism and extreme oceanic events. Methodological and technical limitations, like sampling, identification and quantification, as well as data reporting and analysis, are key constraints in microplastics research, making it difficult to evaluate plastic debris volume in different marine environments. Microplastics have colonized diverse oceans, even polar areas. Their spatial distribution is influenced by their physicochemical properties as well as factors influencing their transport including wind driven waves, current and colonization by microorganisms. The most prevalent polymers in various oceanic systems are PE, PP, and PS, accounting for more than 60% of recovered microplastics. Microplastics affect both unicellular and multicellular marine organisms at various structural levels, causing significant disruptions that negatively impact their ecological and biological functions as well as their social behavior. This threatens both human and ecosystem health. Microplastics significantly impact marine ecosystem services, with total potential losses estimated to be between 1.18 and 2.16 trillion USD, accounting for about 2% of global GDP. Microplastics impair blue carbon ecosystems, reducing their carbon sequestration capacity and exacerbating the economic costs associated with climate regulation and coastal protection. The existing regulatory frameworks addressing plastic pollution are synthesized to identify gaps and highlight opportunities for enhancing and implementing more effective, evidence-based regulations that promote environmental sustainability.
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Micro- and nano-plastics pollution in the marine environment: Progresses, drawbacks and future guidelines
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This review summarizes the current state of micro- and nanoplastic pollution in the world's oceans, estimating that 50 to 75 trillion plastic particles are present in marine environments. The pollution threatens 17% of marine species and causes billions of dollars in economic losses, while also entering the human food chain through seafood consumption.
The Contribution of Microplastics to Marine Pollution
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This review examines the contribution of microplastics to marine pollution, covering the pathways by which plastic particles enter ocean systems, their distribution across ocean basins, effects on marine life, and the challenges of reducing the flow of plastic into the sea.
Microplastic Pollution in Oceans
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This review provides an overview of microplastic pollution in the world's oceans, covering sources, distribution patterns, ecological impacts, and the challenges of monitoring and remediation at global scale. The authors emphasize the urgent need for international policy coordination and improved waste management.
Ocean Pollution by Microplastics: Sources, Impacts and Global Challenges
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This review paper pulls together existing research on tiny plastic particles (microplastics) that are polluting our oceans, looking at where they come from and what damage they cause. These plastics come from things like broken-down bottles, synthetic clothing fibers, and cosmetic products, and they're now found throughout the marine food chain—meaning they end up in the seafood many of us eat. While scientists are still studying exactly how this affects human health, this pollution matters because it's a growing, largely invisible problem that connects ocean health directly to what ends up on our plates.
Plastic pollution in the marine environment
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This review provides a comprehensive overview of plastic pollution in coastal and marine environments, covering everything from how plastics enter the ocean to their effects on marine life. Researchers compiled global data showing microplastic concentrations ranging widely across different water bodies and sediments, with marine organisms accumulating significant amounts. The study underscores that plastic pollution causes ecological damage through entanglement, ingestion toxicity, and the transport of invasive species.
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