Papers

The Impact of Polystyrene Microplastics on Feeding, Function and Fecundity in the Marine Copepod <i>Calanus helgolandicus</i>

Researchers exposed a key marine copepod species to polystyrene microplastics and measured the effects on feeding, egg production, and offspring survival. They found that microplastic ingestion significantly reduced the amount of algae the copepods consumed, lowered their reproductive output, and decreased the hatching success of their eggs. Since copepods are a foundational link in marine food webs, these effects could have cascading consequences for ocean ecosystems.

Aging of microplastics promotes their ingestion by marine zooplankton

Researchers tested whether marine zooplankton prefer microplastics that have been aged in seawater over pristine ones, hypothesizing that biofilm formation makes particles more attractive. They found that several copepod species and life stages did indeed ingest aged microplastic beads at higher rates than new ones. The study suggests that natural biofilm coating on ocean microplastics may make them resemble food, increasing the likelihood that marine organisms will consume them.

Microplastic Ingestion by Zooplankton

This study examined whether tiny marine animals called zooplankton can ingest microplastics, and researchers found that thirteen different zooplankton species consumed plastic beads of various sizes. The plastics also stuck to the animals' outer shells and significantly reduced their normal feeding on algae, suggesting that microplastic pollution could disrupt the base of the marine food web.

Microplastics Alter the Properties and Sinking Rates of Zooplankton Faecal Pellets

Researchers found that when zooplankton ingest microplastics, the plastic particles become embedded in their fecal pellets, making those pellets smaller, less dense, and slower to sink. Since these pellets normally help transport carbon from the ocean surface to the deep sea as part of the biological pump, altered sinking rates could disrupt this important carbon cycle process. The study reveals a previously unrecognized way that microplastic pollution could affect ocean chemistry and climate regulation.

Isolation of microplastics in biota-rich seawater samples and marine organisms

Researchers developed and tested methods for extracting microplastics from seawater samples rich in biological material and from the tissues of marine organisms. They found that enzymatic digestion was the most effective and least destructive approach for isolating microplastics from biological samples, outperforming acid and alkaline treatments. The study provides improved laboratory protocols that will help scientists more accurately measure microplastic contamination in marine environments and wildlife.

Still Arctic?—The changing Barents Sea

Researchers reviewed the current state of the Barents Sea, one of the Arctic regions experiencing the most dramatic climate and ecosystem changes. The study documents rising temperatures, shrinking sea ice, and shifts in marine species distribution over recent decades. The findings indicate that the Barents Sea is transitioning away from its traditional Arctic character, with implications for fisheries, biodiversity, and pollution patterns including microplastic transport.

Car Tire Crumb Rubber: Does Leaching Produce a Toxic Chemical Cocktail in Coastal Marine Systems?

Researchers analyzed the chemical content of tire crumb rubber used on synthetic turf fields and tested its leachates in seawater on marine copepods. They found that a cocktail of organic additives and heavy metals, particularly zinc and benzothiazole, readily leached from the rubber into seawater and accumulated in the copepods. The study suggests that tire crumb rubber used in coastal areas represents a source of microplastic-associated chemical contamination that can harm marine organisms.

Microplastic Fiber Emissions From Wastewater Effluents: Abundance, Transport Behavior and Exposure Risk for Biota in an Arctic Fjord

Researchers investigated how microplastic fibers emitted from untreated wastewater in an Arctic settlement on Svalbard distribute through the nearby fjord environment. The study found elevated fiber concentrations near the effluent outfall that decreased with distance, and documented potential exposure risks for local marine biota including zooplankton and benthic organisms in this sensitive Arctic ecosystem.

Ingestion of car tire crumb rubber and uptake of associated chemicals by lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus)

Researchers fed lumpfish crumb rubber particles from car tires and tracked the ingestion, retention, and chemical uptake in the fish over time. They found that the fish ingested the rubber particles and absorbed tire-specific chemicals, including para-phenylenediamines and their transformation products, into their tissues. The study demonstrates that tire rubber is a source of microplastic and chemical exposure for marine fish that may encounter runoff from artificial sports fields.

Combined effects of crude oil exposure and warming on eggs and larvae of an arctic forage fish

Researchers exposed polar cod eggs and larvae — a key Arctic food-web species — to low levels of crude oil combined with a 2.3°C temperature increase, finding that the combination caused significantly more malformations and death than either stressor alone. The findings suggest that a warming, more industrialized Arctic will compound environmental risks for vulnerable fish species during their most sensitive life stages.

The interaction between plastics and microalgae affects community assembly and nutrient availability

Researchers found that plastic debris coated with biological growth (biofilm) — but not clean plastic — altered the community composition of microalgae and changed nutrient levels in the surrounding water. This suggests that plastic particles act as rafts carrying organisms between environments, potentially disrupting aquatic ecosystems in ways that have been largely overlooked.

The circumpolar impacts of climate change and anthropogenic stressors on Arctic cod (<i>Boreogadus saida</i>) and its ecosystem

This review assessed the circumpolar impacts of climate change and anthropogenic stressors on Arctic cod, identifying how warming waters, pollution including microplastics, and habitat loss threaten this keystone forage fish and its broader ecosystem.

Microplastics in sediments: A systematic review structured through reproducible analytical pipelines

This systematic review of 37 studies finds that microplastic research in sediments suffers from major differences in how samples are collected and analyzed. Without standardized methods, it is difficult to compare contamination levels across locations, which limits our ability to assess how much microplastic in soil and waterbed sediments might affect ecosystems and human health.

Microplastics as contaminants in the marine environment: A review

This review synthesized the state of knowledge on microplastics as marine contaminants, covering their sources, pathways, distribution, biological uptake, and potential ecological and toxicological effects.

Toward harmonised monitoring of plastic pollution: description of a systematic review to evaluate and apply reproducible methods

Scientists reviewed 60 years of research and found that studies measuring plastic pollution in our environment use wildly different methods, making it impossible to compare results or understand the true scope of the problem. This lack of consistency means we can't properly track whether plastic pollution (including tiny particles that can enter our food and water) is getting better or worse over time. The researchers are calling for standardized methods so we can better monitor plastic pollution and protect human health.

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.

Car tire particles and their additives: biomarkers for recent exposure in marine environments

Researchers reviewed car tire wear particles and their chemical additives as environmental biomarkers for recent plastic pollution exposure in marine environments. Tire-specific compounds including benzothiazoles, zinc, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were identified as useful chemical tracers that can distinguish tire-derived pollution from other microplastic sources.

Rethinking plastic as a habitat modifier and a transport vector for organisms in aquatic environments

This perspective argues that plastic pollution in aquatic environments not only poses direct toxicological risks but may fundamentally alter ecosystem functioning by modifying energy fluxes, material cycling, and ecological interactions at key interfaces in water systems.

Trophic transfer of microplastics and associated contaminants in marine food chains and implications for human health

Untangling the role of biotic and abiotic ageing of various environmental plastics toward the sorption of metals

Using factorial experiments, researchers disentangled the contributions of UV weathering, microbial biofilm colonization, and their interaction to metal sorption onto five types of environmental plastic, finding that both biotic and abiotic aging independently and synergistically enhance metal binding to plastic surfaces.

The AmP project: Comparing species on the basis of dynamic energy budget parameters

The AmP (Add-my-Pet) database was developed to compile Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) model parameters for over 1000 animal species, enabling cross-species comparisons of growth, reproduction, and metabolic rates. This comparative framework is relevant to ecotoxicology research on microplastics because DEB models can predict how energy allocation is disrupted by contaminant exposure across species.

Moving forward in microplastic research: A Norwegian perspective

This Norwegian perspective reviewed current knowledge gaps in microplastic research and argued that the field must move from contamination surveys toward risk-based assessments that can directly inform management decisions, calling for standardized methods, long-term monitoring programs, and closer collaboration between researchers and policymakers.

Plastic litter in the European Arctic: What do we know?

Researchers reviewed available evidence on plastic litter in the European Arctic, finding that despite limited data, microplastics are present in every environmental compartment — including sea ice — and are being transported to this remote region from distant sources via ocean currents and wind.

Phthalate contamination in marine mammals off the Norwegian coast

Researchers measured levels of 11 phthalates — plastic-softening chemicals that act as hormone disruptors — in the blubber of six marine mammal species along the Norwegian coast, detecting contamination in all species and finding the highest levels in white-beaked dolphins, highlighting ongoing chemical pollution threats to ocean wildlife.