Papers

Microplastics in bays: Transport processes and numerical models

This review examines how microplastics move through and accumulate in coastal bays, which are particularly vulnerable due to their semi-enclosed nature. Researchers summarized the physical processes, including wind, currents, and tides, that drive microplastic transport and distribution in these environments. The study emphasizes that computer modeling is an essential tool for predicting microplastic movement patterns and developing effective cleanup strategies.

Measures for improving water quality to bend the curve of global freshwater biodiversity loss

This paper examines measures for improving water quality to reverse the decline of global freshwater biodiversity, addressing pollutants including microplastics along with chemicals, heat, light, and pathogens. Researchers analyzed the complex pathways through which these contaminants degrade aquatic ecosystems worldwide. The study identifies strategies for reducing pollutant loads to protect freshwater species and ecosystem health.

Microplastics impact simple aquatic food web dynamics through reduced zooplankton feeding and potentially releasing algae from consumer control

Researchers investigated how environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics affect freshwater food web dynamics using two zooplankton species. The study found that microplastic exposure reduced zooplankton feeding rates, which could potentially release algae from consumer control and disrupt aquatic food chain balance.

Extent and reproduction of coastal species on plastic debris in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre

Researchers found 37 coastal invertebrate taxa colonizing plastic debris in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, many reproducing in the open ocean, demonstrating that plastic pollution enables coastal species to establish neopelagic communities far from shore.

A field and laboratory manual for sampling, processing and reporting microplastics in coastal and marine environments

This paper presents a comprehensive, standardized field and laboratory guideline for sampling, processing, and reporting microplastics in coastal and marine environments, developed through international collaboration. The harmonized protocols aim to improve comparability of data across global monitoring programmes.

Using Numerical Model Simulations to Improve the Understanding of Micro-plastic Distribution and Pathways in the Marine Environment

This review summarizes a decade of numerical models that simulate the ocean transport of microplastics, assessing how well different models capture the effects of currents, waves, and wind. The authors identify key uncertainties — especially around vertical mixing, beaching, and fragmentation — that limit the predictive accuracy of current models.

Remote hideaways: first insights into the population sizes, habitat use and residency of manta rays at aggregation areas in Seychelles

Photo-identification surveys at aggregation sites in the Seychelles provided first insights into manta ray population sizes, habitat use, and residency patterns, finding that small resident populations make repeated use of specific aggregation areas and are vulnerable to localized threats.

Overcoming biomedical plastic contamination for detection of microplastics in human placental tissue

Role of Indian Ocean Dynamics on Accumulation of Buoyant Debris

Researchers used ocean circulation modeling to investigate the role of Indian Ocean dynamics in accumulating buoyant marine plastic debris, examining how Ekman convergence and regional current patterns shape the distribution of floating debris in the Indian Ocean subtropical gyre.

Cetacean sightings within the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Researchers documented cetacean sightings — including sperm whales, beaked whales, and baleen whales — within the Great Pacific Garbage Patch during an October 2016 aerial survey, raising concern about marine mammal exposure to high concentrations of floating plastic debris.

Economía azul y su planificación espacial

This Spanish-language article reviews the concept of the Blue Economy and its spatial planning in the context of sustainable ocean management. Blue Economy frameworks must address microplastic pollution, which threatens the fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism sectors that coastal economies depend on.

Impacts of the Marine Technology Boom: Ocean Literacy Now Requires Data Literacy

This paper argues that as new ocean monitoring technologies generate massive real-time datasets, ocean literacy education must now also incorporate data literacy skills. Understanding ocean data is increasingly important for tracking microplastic distribution, concentration, and transport patterns across marine systems.

Cross-shelf transport of Barents Sea dense water as a sink for atmospheric CO2 in the Arctic Ocean

This study demonstrates that the Barents Sea exports significant amounts of biologically produced organic carbon into deep Arctic waters via dense water formation, sequestering it from the atmosphere for millennia. This natural carbon sink function had been underestimated in previous models. The findings are relevant to Arctic carbon cycle science but not directly to microplastics.

Editorial: Biodiversity of Sensory Systems in Aquatic Vertebrates

This editorial introduces a Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution collection on the biodiversity of sensory systems in aquatic vertebrates, covering how fish and other aquatic animals have evolved diverse sensory capabilities to detect light, sound, electric fields, and chemicals in water. The issue explores sensory biology from an evolutionary and ecological perspective.