Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Plastics from Surface to Seabed: Vertical Distribution of (Micro)plastic Particles in the North Pacific Ocean

Researchers investigated the vertical distribution of microplastics across the water column and deep-sea sediments (>5 km) in the North Pacific Ocean, finding concentrations of 8-2600 items/m3 in the water column and 1100-3200 items/kg in sediments, with distinct patterns across the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, Papahanaumokuakea Monument, and a less-polluted open ocean site.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology
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

The vertical distribution and biological transport of marine microplastics across the epipelagic and mesopelagic water column

Remotely operated vehicles and custom samplers were used to collect microplastics from depths of 5–1000 m in Monterey Bay, finding that microplastic concentrations in mesopelagic waters (200–600 m depth) were comparable to or higher than surface concentrations. The study demonstrates that the deep ocean is not merely a sink but an active reservoir of microplastics vertically transported by biological organisms.

2019 Scientific Reports 539 citations
Article Tier 2

Unveiling the deep-sea microplastic Odyssey: Characteristics, distribution, and ecological implications in Pacific Ocean sediments

Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in deep-sea sediments from the Pacific Ocean at depths reaching nearly 7,000 meters. They found microplastics at every sampling site, predominantly polyester and rayon fibers, with the highest concentrations in the Western Pacific. The study highlights that microplastic pollution has reached some of the most remote deep-sea environments on Earth, raising concerns about its ecological impact.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 10 citations
Article Tier 2

From Surface Hotspots to Abyssal Sediments: Vertical Distribution of (Micro)plastics in the North Pacific Ocean

Scientists found tiny plastic particles throughout the entire depth of the Pacific Ocean, from the surface all the way down to the seafloor over 3 miles deep. This shows that plastic pollution has spread much further into our oceans than previously known, contaminating even the deepest parts of the sea. This matters because these microplastics can enter the food chain through fish and seafood that people eat, potentially affecting human health.

2026
Article Tier 2

Settling and along-isopycnal subduction of small microplastics into intermediate layers over the North Pacific Ocean

Researchers investigated the vertical distribution of small microplastics (10-300 micrometers) from the sea surface to 1,000 m depth in the North Pacific Ocean using seawater sampling and hydrographic surveys, finding average concentrations of 6,910 particles per cubic meter and identifying along-isopycnal subduction as a key mechanism transporting small microplastics into intermediate water layers.

2025
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

Widespread distribution of microplastics in subsurface seawater in the NE Pacific Ocean

Researchers detected and characterized microplastics in subsurface seawater samples collected across the northeast Pacific, finding widespread contamination below the surface layer and providing insight into how microplastics distribute through the water column.

2014 Marine Pollution Bulletin 1025 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

Vertical distribution of microplastic along the main gate of Indonesian Throughflow pathways

Researchers conducted the first investigation of vertical microplastic distribution in deep-sea waters along the Indonesian Throughflow pathway between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The study found an average of about 1 microplastic particle per liter across depths from 5 to 2,450 meters, with water temperature and density influencing particle distribution, indicating that microplastic contamination extends throughout the ocean water column.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Vertical Flux of Microplastics in the Deep Subtropical Pacific Ocean: Moored Sediment-Trap Observations within the Kuroshio Extension Recirculation Gyre

Researchers used deep-ocean sediment traps to measure the downward flux of microplastics in the western North Pacific Ocean over a two-year period. They found that microplastics, primarily fibers, were sinking to depths of nearly 5,000 meters, with seasonal variations linked to biological processes at the surface. The study provides some of the first direct evidence that microplastics are actively being transported to the deep ocean floor.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantifying microplastic mass in deep-sea sediment along a transect in the north pacific

Researchers collected sediment cores at six sites along an approximately 800 km transect offshore from San Diego, California in December 2022, using radiometric dating alongside microplastic analysis to quantify microplastic mass in deep-sea sediments and improve understanding of sedimentation rates and long-term plastic accumulation in the North Pacific.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Prevalence of small high-density microplastics in the continental shelf and deep sea waters of East Asia

Researchers collected water samples at multiple depth layers across the continental shelf and deep sea of East Asia and found that small, high-density microplastics were more abundant in deeper waters, suggesting vertical sinking pathways concentrate certain particle types in the deep ocean.

2021 Water Research 112 citations
Article Tier 2

Beneath the waves: Vertical and horizontal microplastic distribution in the gulf of panama

Researchers investigated the vertical and horizontal distribution of microplastics in the Gulf of Lion, examining the factors that govern transport from the ocean surface to the seafloor where plastics ultimately accumulate. Depth-stratified sampling revealed how oceanographic processes distribute microplastics through the water column before their final sedimentation.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Distribution of microplastics in bathyal- to hadal-depth sediments and transport process along the deep-sea canyon and the Kuroshio Extension in the Northwest Pacific

Researchers mapped microplastic distribution from shallow to ultra-deep ocean sediments in the Northwest Pacific, including Sagami Bay and areas beneath the Kuroshio Extension current. The study found the highest microplastic concentrations in abyssal stations and suggests two distinct transport pathways: land-sourced microplastics move to hadal depths via turbidity currents along submarine canyons, while ocean-surface microplastics sink directly to the abyssal plains below.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 42 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

Microplastic abundance, distribution and composition in the mid-west Pacific Ocean

Researchers surveyed microplastic abundance, distribution, and composition across the mid-west Pacific Ocean, an area with previously limited data, finding widespread contamination across sampled stations. The dominant particle types were fibers and fragments, with concentrations varying by location and depth.

2020 Environmental Pollution 250 citations
Article Tier 2

Prevalence of microplastic pollution in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean

Researchers conducted the first systematic field survey of microplastic pollution at the surface of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean, finding concentrations spanning two orders of magnitude and identifying polyethylene as the dominant polymer type, with the highest concentrations associated with convergence zones shaped by the Kuroshio Current and adjacent eddies.

2019 Chemosphere 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Baseline Surveys at the Water Surface and in Sediments of the North-East Atlantic

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations at the sea surface and in sediments across the southern North Sea and northwestern Europe, finding highly variable but widespread contamination. Sediments contained far higher concentrations than surface waters, confirming that the seafloor acts as a major sink for microplastic pollution.

2017 Frontiers in Marine Science 308 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial communities on plastic particles in surface waters differ from subsurface waters of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre

Researchers sampled plastic particles from the ocean surface down to 2,000 meters in the North Pacific and found that microbial communities on deep, sinking plastics are rapidly replaced by microbes from surrounding water, suggesting that plastic particles are not an efficient vehicle for transporting surface microorganisms into the deep sea.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantifying microplastic mass in deep-sea sediment along a transect in the north pacific

Researchers collected sediment cores at six sites along an 800-km east-west transect offshore from San Diego and used pyrolysis-GC/MS targeting ten polymers to quantify microplastic mass fractions, finding higher polymer detection rates and concentrations at sites closer to shore compared to offshore locations.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Systematic Review Tier 1

Towards a North Pacific Ocean Long-term Monitoring Program for Plastic Pollution: a Review of Global Occurrence of Microplastics in the Sea and Deep-sea Sediments

This systematic review summarizes research on microplastic contamination in sea sediments around the world, with a focus on the North Pacific Ocean. The findings highlight the need for standardized monitoring methods and long-term tracking programs, since understanding where microplastics accumulate in ocean sediments helps predict how they enter marine food chains and eventually reach our plates.

2024 Journal of Water and Environment Technology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Beneath the waves: Vertical and horizontal microplastic distribution in the gulf of panama

Researchers examined the vertical and horizontal distribution of microplastics throughout the water column in the Gulf of Mexico, from the surface to the seafloor. The study found that microplastic concentration and composition change with depth, with the seafloor serving as the main sink for denser and larger particles.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Tying up Loose Ends of Microplastic Pollution in the Arctic: Distribution from the Sea Surface through the Water Column to Deep-Sea Sediments at the HAUSGARTEN Observatory

Scientists sampled the water column at multiple depths and deep-sea sediments at the HAUSGARTEN Arctic observatory, finding microplastics at all depths from surface to seafloor, with concentrations indicating that the Arctic deep sea is a significant long-term sink for microplastic pollution.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 301 citations