Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

>b/b<: influence of feeding mode on microplastic intake by benthic organisms and detection of persistent organic pollutants in biological and sediment samples

This study investigated micropollutant accumulation including microplastics in deep-sea organisms from the Southern Atlantic, examining how feeding mode influences contaminant intake. Results showed that filter feeders and deposit feeders accumulated different levels of microplastics and chemical pollutants, reflecting the deep sea's vulnerability to surface pollution.

2024
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

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

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

Synthetic and Semi-Synthetic Microplastic Ingestion by Mesopelagic Fishes From Tristan da Cunha and St Helena, South Atlantic

Scientists examined the digestive tracts of deep-sea mesopelagic fish from the remote South Atlantic and found microplastics in their intestines. The presence of plastic in fish at depths down to 1,000 meters in one of the most isolated ocean regions confirms that microplastic contamination has reached even the deep ocean.

2021 Frontiers in Marine Science 23 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

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

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

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

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

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

Fate of microplastics in deep-sea sediments and its influencing factors: Evidence from the Eastern Indian Ocean

Surface sediments from 26 sites in the deep basin of the Eastern Indian Ocean were analyzed for microplastics, finding concentrations ranging widely and influenced by water depth, distance from land, and ocean current patterns. The study extends deep-sea microplastic monitoring to the Indian Ocean and identifies oceanographic transport as a key control on plastic distribution.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 70 citations
Article Tier 2

Hidden threat: microplastics interaction with Antarctic benthic invertebrates

Researchers exposed three Antarctic benthic species, including a bivalve, to polyethylene microbeads to quantify ingestion rates and characterize microplastic interactions in Southern Ocean invertebrates, finding that these remote organisms ingest microplastics and highlighting significant gaps in understanding ecological consequences for Antarctic benthic biodiversity.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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

Microplastic ingestion by pelagic and benthic fish and diet composition: A case study in the NW Iberian shelf

Researchers found microplastics in 78% of fish examined across four pelagic and benthic species from the NW Iberian shelf, with ingestion rates varying by feeding ecology and habitat depth, and identified predominantly fibers and fragments in gastrointestinal contents following alkaline tissue digestion.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 97 citations
Article Tier 2

Presence of microplastics in shipwrecks along the continental shelf of the state of Pernambuco – Brazil

Researchers found microplastics in sediments surrounding every one of six shipwrecks examined on the continental shelf of Brazil, with nylon fibres being the most common type. The study shows that even remote, deep-water habitats far from shore are accumulating microplastic pollution, and suggests that wrecks may act as collection points that concentrate these particles on the seafloor.

2023 International Journal of Environmental Studies 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Integrated approach for marine litter pollution assessment in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea: Information from bottom-trawl fishing and plastic ingestion in deep-sea fish.

This study combined bottom-trawl fishing data with analysis of plastic ingestion in deep-sea fish from the southern Tyrrhenian Sea to assess seafloor litter pollution. Plastic was the most abundant litter type on the seafloor, and plastic fragments were found in fish digestive tracts, demonstrating that microplastic contamination extends to deep-sea ecosystems and enters the food web.

2023 Marine pollution bulletin
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

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

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

Biodisponibilidad y bioacumulación de microplásticos en el zooplancton marino de un área marina protegida del Caribe

Researchers evaluated microplastic bioavailability and bioconcentration across seven zooplankton taxonomic groups in a Caribbean Marine Protected Area, finding microplastic ingestion during two contrasting hydroclimate seasons using oblique net tows at twelve stations.

2025 Revista de Biología Tropical
Article Tier 2

Determination of the presence of microplastics in intertidal sediments of deception island, antarctica

Researchers determined the presence and characteristics of microplastics in intertidal sediments of Deception Island, Antarctica, providing evidence that plastic contamination has reached one of Earth's most remote environments and documenting the role of marine sediments as sinks for persistent microplastic pollution.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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

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