Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Micropoluentes no mar profundo: influência do modo alimentar na ingestão de microplásticos em organismos bentônicos e detecção de poluentes orgânicos persistentes em amostras biológicas e de sedimento

This Portuguese-language study examined micropollutant exposure including microplastics in deep-sea organisms from the Southern Atlantic, analyzing how feeding mode determines microplastic ingestion across different species. The research found that even the most remote marine habitats on Earth harbor plastic contamination detectable in deep-sea fauna.

2024 Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (Universidade de São Paulo)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and POPs on the Southwestern Atlantic deep-sea floor: a study of megafauna and sediments

This study provided the first report of microplastics and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Southwestern Atlantic deep-sea floor, examining both sediments and benthic megafauna. Microplastics and POPs were detected in deep-sea organisms and sediments, demonstrating that even remote deep-ocean environments in the Southern Hemisphere are contaminated by surface-derived plastic pollution.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Presence of microplastics in benthic and epibenthic organisms: Influence of habitat, feeding mode and trophic level

This study examined microplastic occurrence in benthic and epibenthic invertebrates from the Western English Channel, finding that habitat type, feeding mode, and trophic level all influenced microplastic ingestion rates. The results suggest that bottom-dwelling filter feeders and deposit feeders are among the most exposed organisms in seafloor food webs.

2018 Environmental Pollution 281 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution identified in deep-sea water and ingested by benthic invertebrates in the Rockall Trough, North Atlantic Ocean

Researchers identified microplastics in deep-sea water samples and found them in the gut contents of benthic invertebrates living on the seafloor — providing evidence that the deep sea is both a sink for microplastics and that deep-sea organisms are ingesting them. The study raises concerns about contamination reaching even the most remote marine ecosystems.

2017 Environmental Pollution 449 citations
Article Tier 2

Consistent microplastic ingestion by deep-sea invertebrates over the last four decades (1976–2015), a study from the North East Atlantic

Researchers found consistent microplastic ingestion by deep-sea invertebrates in the North East Atlantic over a 40-year period from 1976 to 2015, demonstrating that microplastic contamination of remote deep-sea habitats is a long-standing and persistent problem.

2018 Environmental Pollution 108 citations
Article Tier 2

Does the microplastics ingestion patterns and polymer composition vary across the oceanic zones? A case study from the Indian coast

Researchers examined microplastic ingestion in 27 species of deep-sea fish from the Central Indian Ocean and found contamination in 19 of them, with PET being the most common polymer. The study suggests that feeding behavior, rather than habitat depth or trophic level, is the primary factor influencing how much microplastic deep-sea fish ingest, and proposes these fish could serve as indicators for monitoring deep-sea plastic pollution.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic ingestion by deep‐pelagic crustaceans and fishes

Among 557 individual deep-pelagic crustaceans and fishes from the Gulf of Mexico, 29% of crustaceans and 26% of fishes had ingested microplastics, with ingestion rates in non-migratory fishes increasing with depth and reaching 40% at 1200-1500 m, suggesting plastic accumulates at greater ocean depths.

2023 Limnology and Oceanography 23 citations
Article Tier 2

High Abundances of Microplastic Pollution in Deep-Sea Sediments: Evidence from Antarctica and the Southern Ocean

Microplastic pollution was investigated in deep-sea sediments from Antarctic and Southern Ocean regions, finding high abundances that varied among sites. The study confirmed that microplastics are accumulating in the remote Antarctic deep-sea environment, with evidence going back to scientific literature from the 1980s that has accelerated in recent years.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 289 citations
Article Tier 2

Organic pollutants in deep sea: Occurrence, fate, and ecological implications

This review synthesized data on organic pollutants in the deep sea, finding that persistent contaminants including microplastics and their sorbed chemicals reach depths exceeding 10,000 meters through particle sinking, water mass transport, and biological vectors, threatening poorly understood but ecologically vital deep-sea ecosystems.

2021 Water Research 75 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in deep-sea sediments and organisms of the Western Pacific Ocean

Researchers collected deep-sea sediment and organism samples from multiple sites in the western Pacific Ocean and found microplastics at all locations sampled, with depth, distance from land, and current patterns influencing accumulation, confirming the western Pacific deep sea as a significant microplastic sink.

2020 Environmental Pollution 378 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic occurrence in deep-sea fish species Alepocephalus bairdii and Coryphaenoides rupestris from the Porcupine Bank (North Atlantic)

Microplastics were found in two deep-sea fish species collected from the Porcupine Bank in the North Atlantic, with occurrence in Alepocephalus bairdii and Coryphaenoides rupestris confirming that plastic ingestion extends to deep-water environments far from human activity. The study highlights the need for broader assessment of microplastic exposure in commercially unexploited deep-sea fauna.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic microfibre ingestion by deep-sea organisms

Researchers provided the first evidence that microplastics are being ingested and internalized by deep-sea organisms living on the ocean floor. The study found plastic microfibres in multiple deep-water species, demonstrating that microplastic contamination has already reached some of the most remote habitats on Earth.

2016 Scientific Reports 491 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in deep-sea sediments

Researchers analyzed deep-sea sediment cores and found microplastics present at depth, providing early evidence that deep-sea sediments globally accumulate microplastic pollution far from coastlines and at the seafloor.

2013 Environmental Pollution 1521 citations
Article Tier 2

First long-term evidence of microplastic pollution in the deep subtropical Northeast Atlantic

Researchers found microplastic particles in all 110 sediment trap samples collected over a 12-year period from 2,000-meter depths in the Northeast Atlantic, establishing the deep ocean as a long-term sink for microplastics with fluxes increasing over time.

2022 Environmental Pollution 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Unseen pollutants: Microplastics in deep-sea invertebrates

Microplastics were detected in deep-sea invertebrates from multiple ocean basins, confirming that plastic contamination has penetrated to organisms living in the darkest, most remote zones of the ocean. This finding raises concerns about the ecological and food-web implications of deep-sea microplastic exposure.

2025 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Deep Sea Microplastic Pollution Extends Out to Sediments in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean Margins

Researchers surveyed deep-sea sediments across four areas of the Northeast Atlantic and detected microplastics at 75% of stations sampled, finding no hotspots and no clear correlation with depth or distance from land, demonstrating the widespread extent of deep-sea microplastic contamination.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Influencing factors for microplastic intake in abundant deep-sea lanternfishes (Myctophidae)

Researchers found microplastics in 68% of mesopelagic lanternfish from the Southwestern Tropical Atlantic, with body size and feeding depth identified as key factors influencing microplastic intake in these abundant deep-sea fish.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Frequency of Microplastics in Mesopelagic Fishes from the Northwest Atlantic

Microplastics were found in the stomachs of mesopelagic fish collected from the Northwest Atlantic, with ingestion rates and particle types varying by species and depth. The study expands the known distribution of microplastic ingestion into deep-water fish communities, suggesting that plastic contamination has penetrated even mid-water food webs far from the surface.

2018 Frontiers in Marine Science 201 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic in the stomachs of open-ocean and deep-sea fishes of the North-East Atlantic

Researchers investigated microplastic occurrence in the stomachs of 390 fish from three pelagic and two deep-sea species in the North-East Atlantic, comparing plastic ingestion between fish occupying contrasting ocean compartments. The study documented microplastic presence across species at different depths, highlighting how plastic contamination extends throughout the oceanic water column.

2020 Environmental Pollution 116 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and synthetic particles ingested by deep-sea amphipods in six of the deepest marine ecosystems on Earth

Amphipod crustaceans from six of the deepest Pacific ocean trenches (7,000–10,890 m depth) were examined for microplastic ingestion, with over 72% of the 90 individuals containing at least one microparticle, including fibers, films, and fragments of polyethylene terephthalate and nylon. The study provides the first evidence that microplastic contamination reaches the deepest inhabited parts of the world's oceans.

2019 Royal Society Open Science 429 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic in the inferno: Microplastic contamination in deep-sea cephalopods (Vampyroteuthis infernalis and Abralia veranyi) from the southwestern Atlantic

Microplastics were detected in two deep-sea cephalopod species from the southwestern Atlantic -- the vampire squid and midwater squid -- demonstrating that microplastic contamination extends into deep-water ecosystems and affects organisms across different depth ranges and feeding strategies.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic burden in marine benthic invertebrates depends on species traits and feeding ecology within biogeographical provinces

Researchers analyzed microplastic levels in the bodies of marine bottom-dwelling invertebrates across different ocean regions and found that the amount of microplastic ingested depended more on the animals' feeding strategies and body traits than on local pollution levels alone. Filter-feeding and deposit-feeding species accumulated the most particles. The study suggests that simply measuring environmental microplastic concentrations may not accurately predict how much wildlife in an area is actually ingesting.

2023 Nature Communications 79 citations
Article Tier 2

Prevalence of microplastics and anthropogenic debris within a deep-sea food web

Researchers documented microplastic prevalence across 17 genera spanning approximately five trophic levels in the Monterey Bay submarine canyon food web, finding evidence of trophic transfer of microplastics through the deep-sea ecosystem and higher contamination in organisms from mid-water and benthic habitats.

2021 Marine Ecology Progress Series 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic accumulation in deep-sea sediments from the Rockall Trough

Microplastics were found throughout sediment cores from over 2,000 meters depth in the North Atlantic's Rockall Trough, with concentrations decreasing with sediment age but extending well below the depth predicted by recent plastic production history, suggesting physical redistribution into older sediment layers. Microplastic abundance correlated with sediment porosity, indicating that pore water transport moves particles vertically after deposition.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 174 citations