Papers

Setting the course: aligning European Union marine pollution policy ambitions with environmental realities

This systematic review assesses EU marine pollution policies against the actual state of ocean contamination from pollutants including microplastics. The findings suggest that current policy goals may not align with environmental realities, and more integrated approaches linking land-based pollution sources to marine impacts are needed. Effective regulation matters because ocean health directly affects the safety of seafood and coastal communities.

Plastic pollution in the Arctic

This review describes how plastic pollution, including microplastics, has spread throughout the Arctic despite its remoteness, carried by ocean currents, rivers, and wind from lower latitudes. Plastics accumulate in Arctic ice, water, soil, and wildlife, and even if all plastic production stopped today, existing plastic would continue fragmenting into microplastics for decades. The contamination of this sensitive ecosystem is concerning because Arctic food webs, including fish consumed by humans, are already affected.

Leaving a plastic legacy: Current and future scenarios for mismanaged plastic waste in rivers

Researchers modeled how mismanaged plastic waste enters and accumulates in river systems worldwide, estimating that about 0.8 million tonnes entered rivers in 2015 alone. They found that most plastic pollution stays within river environments rather than reaching the ocean, creating a long-lasting contamination legacy in sediments. The study projects that without significant waste management improvements, plastic accumulation in rivers will continue growing for decades.

Ecological Role of Submarine Canyons and Need for Canyon Conservation: A Review

This review examines the ecological role of submarine canyons and the threats they face from human activities including fishing, mining waste dumping, and oil extraction. The study highlights that these deep-sea habitats also accumulate marine debris including microplastics, underscoring the need for canyon conservation as critical marine ecosystems.

A marine plastic cloud - Global mass balance assessment of oceanic plastic pollution

Researchers compiled concentration data from 280 deep-sea sediment measurements across six ocean floor environments and estimated that roughly 3 million tonnes of microplastics have accumulated in deep-sea sediments, with concentrations in submarine trenches and canyons exceeding safe thresholds for marine life. The findings suggest the ocean water column acts as a vast suspended "plastic cloud" holding up to 90 million tonnes of microplastics in transit to the seafloor.

Current State of Microplastic Pollution Research Data: Trends in Availability and Sources of Open Data

Researchers analyzed data sharing practices in the microplastics research community and found that less than a third of published articles included a data sharing statement. Of the datasets found in online repositories, most were provided as supplementary material rather than in dedicated data repositories, suggesting that the rate of open data sharing lags behind the rapid growth in microplastics publications.

Clean, but not green: Emission assessment, forecast modelling and policy solutions for plastic microbeads from personal care products in India

Researchers analyzed 45 personal care products sold in India and found that plastic microbeads were present in face washes, scrubs, shower gels, and body scrubs. They estimated current and future microbead emissions based on product usage patterns and population growth, projecting a significant increase in microplastic pollution from these sources. The study calls for regulatory action to ban intentionally added microbeads in personal care products in India.

Life starts with plastic: High occurrence of plastic pieces in fledglings of northern fulmars

Researchers found that 100% of northern fulmar fledglings examined from Svalbard in the Eurasian Arctic had ingested plastic, averaging 46 particles per bird. The most common plastics were white polyethylene fragments, with microplastics slightly outnumbering larger mesoplastics. The study suggests that fulmar fledglings may serve as effective indicators for monitoring plastic pollution trends over time.

E-waste it wisely: lessons from Africa

Researchers assessed Africa's e-waste crisis, estimating that between 3.4 and 5.8 million metric tonnes of electronic waste accumulated in the continent in 2019 — much of it imported from wealthier nations — with improper disposal in open dump sites causing serious environmental contamination and human health risks.

The fate of microplastic in marine sedimentary environments: A review and synthesis

A systematic review of 80 papers on microplastics in marine sediments found median concentrations varied widely by sediment environment, with fibers dominating many locations, and showed that sediment grain size and organic carbon content influence microplastic accumulation.

A spatial and temporal assessment of microplastics in seafloor sediments: A case study for the UK

This study assessed microplastic occurrence and abundance in UK seafloor sediments across spatial and temporal scales, supporting the development of common monitoring indicators for regional marine frameworks like OSPAR.

Evaluating the environmental impact of cleaning the North Pacific Garbage Patch

Researchers developed an environmental impact assessment framework and applied it to evaluate the net benefit of cleaning the North Pacific Garbage Patch, using The Ocean Cleanup project as a case study and weighing benefits to marine life and carbon cycling against harm caused by the cleanup operation itself.

A large-scale study of microplastic abundance in sediment cores from the UK continental shelf and slope

Microplastic abundance was surveyed in sediment cores from three areas of the UK continental shelf, establishing a baseline pollution profile across contrasting coastal environments. Concentrations varied considerably by location and depth, with the data providing a foundation for future risk assessments of seafloor contamination.

Meso- and microplastics monitoring in harbour environments: A case study for the Port of Durban, South Africa

The abundance and distribution of meso- and microplastics were investigated in the water column and sediments of Durban Harbour, South Africa, using an immersible pump and particle filtration system. The study established baseline contamination data for a major southern African port environment.

Microplastic pollution in Marine Protected Areas of Southern Sri Lanka

Microplastic contamination was documented in coastal and lagoon sediments and water within two Marine Protected Areas in southern Sri Lanka, indicating that even protected zones are not shielded from plastic pollution.

Occurrence and abundance of meso and microplastics in sediment, surface waters, and marine biota from the South Pacific region

A rapid Nile red fluorescence screening method was applied to characterize meso- and microplastic concentrations in sediments, surface waters, and biota from South Pacific sampling sites. The method enabled broad spatial screening across an under-studied ocean region, establishing baseline microplastic data where almost no prior data existed.

Catch me if you can: Microplastics hidden in plain sight

Researchers highlight that paint particles, tire wear, and textile fibers — three widely overlooked sources — together account for over 25% of global microplastic emissions (nearly 3 million tonnes per year), yet receive far less regulatory attention than single-use plastics. The paper calls for stronger international policies, product redesign, and expanded producer responsibility to address these "hidden in plain sight" pollutants.

Taking a mass-balance approach to assess marine plastics in the South China Sea

Researchers applied a mass-balance modeling approach to assess marine plastic pollution in the South China Sea, finding critical data gaps on plastic inputs, transfer rates, and sink terms that prevent accurate quantification of this recognized global plastic hotspot.

A scenario-based risk assessment framework for tyre wear particles in European seas

Researchers built a new risk assessment framework for tire wear particles (TWPs) — tiny plastic and rubber fragments shed from car tires onto roads and into waterways — estimating that 82 million to 1.2 billion TWPs enter European seas annually, with the Mediterranean receiving the heaviest load. While physical particle concentrations appear low, the chemical compounds that leach from tire debris may pose significant ecological risks that current European pollution monitoring frameworks are not equipped to assess.

Microplastic pollution in the intertidal and subtidal sediments of Vava'u, Tonga

Researchers documented microplastic contamination in intertidal and subtidal sediments of the Vava'u archipelago in Tonga, providing the first baseline data for the South Pacific island nation using a low-cost density-separation method adaptable for resource-limited settings.

Plastic and oceans

A baseline study of macro, meso and micro litter in the Belize River basin, from catchment to coast

Researchers conducted a baseline survey of macro, meso, and micro litter throughout the Belize River basin from inland catchments to the coast, documenting plastic as the dominant litter type and identifying rivers as key conduits transporting terrestrial plastic waste to coastal waters.

Leaving a plastic legacy: current and future scenarios for mismanaged plastic waste in rivers

Researchers estimated that 0.8 million tonnes of mismanaged plastic waste enters rivers annually, affecting 84% of global rivers by surface area, and project a nearly three-fold increase by 2060 — though improved waste governance could reduce this pollution by up to 72%.

Microplastics in Commercially Important Small Pelagic Fish Species From South Africa

Researchers found microplastics in three commercially important small pelagic fish species from South African waters, with South African sardines showing the highest mean concentration at 1.58 items per individual. Microfibres accounted for 80% of ingested microplastics across all three species, with polyethylene-propylene-diene copolymer among the dominant polymers detected.