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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to The global biological microplastic particle sink
ClearModelling the sedimentation of macro-, micro- and nanoplastics in the ocean from surface to sediment
Researchers modeled the sedimentation of macro-, micro-, and nanoplastics from the ocean surface to the seafloor, finding that biofouling and particle aggregation dramatically accelerate sinking rates and that most plastics eventually reach benthic environments.
Hitchhiking into the Deep: How Microplastic Particles are Exported through the Biological Carbon Pump in the North Atlantic Ocean
This study investigated how microplastic particles are exported from the ocean surface to the deep sea through the biological carbon pump in the North Atlantic. Microplastics were found associated with sinking organic aggregates (marine snow), fecal pellets, and zooplankton, demonstrating biological packaging as a key mechanism for deep-sea plastic transport.
Modelling the sedimentation of macro-, micro- and nanoplastics in the ocean from surface to sediment
This study modeled the sedimentation of macro-, micro-, and nanoplastics in the ocean, focusing on how the biological pump and marine snow aggregation transfer plastic from surface waters to the deep sea. The model showed that biological processes dramatically accelerate the removal of plastic particles from the ocean surface, with implications for estimates of marine plastic residence times.
Rapid aggregation of biofilm-covered microplastics with marine biogenic particles
Researchers demonstrated that biofilm-covered microplastics rapidly aggregate with marine biogenic particles such as algal cells and fecal pellets, which accelerates their sinking from surface waters. The study helps explain why microplastic concentrations at the ocean surface are lower than expected — biofouling causes the particles to be transported to deeper waters and sediments faster than previously assumed.
Global Modeled Sinking Characteristics of Biofouled Microplastic
Researchers developed a global model of microplastic biofouling and sinking using satellite oceanographic data to estimate where and when buoyant plastic particles sink out of the surface ocean, finding that sinking timescales ranged from days in tropical waters to months in high-latitude regions depending on temperature and productivity.
A Critical Examination of the Role of Marine Snow and Zooplankton Fecal Pellets in Removing Ocean Surface Microplastic
This review critically examines the hypothesized role of marine snow and zooplankton fecal pellets in exporting surface microplastics to deep ocean sediments, finding that while biological packaging can enhance sinking rates, the quantitative contribution of this pathway to resolving the 'missing plastic' problem remains uncertain. The authors call for improved field measurements and modeling to test these mechanisms rigorously.
Modelling the sedimentation of macro-, micro- and nanoplastics in the ocean from surface to sediment
This study modeled the sedimentation of macro-, micro-, and nanoplastics in the ocean, focusing on the role of the biological pump and marine snow aggregation in removing plastics from the surface and transporting them to depth. Models showed that natural settling processes driven by biologically produced particles are a significant mechanism for transferring plastic pollution to the seafloor.
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.
Sinking characteristics of microplastics in the marine environment
This study investigated the sinking behavior of microplastics in the marine environment, finding that particle properties such as density, shape, and biofouling strongly influence whether particles float or sink, helping explain why much of the expected floating plastic is unaccounted for.
Slow biological microplastics removal under ocean pollution phase-out trajectories
Modeling and observation of biological microplastic removal from the ocean surface -- through incorporation into marine snow and fecal pellets that sink -- suggests this process is too slow to meaningfully offset continued plastic pollution inputs.
Effects of biofouling on the sinking behavior of microplastics
Researchers studied how biofouling — the accumulation of microorganisms and organic matter on particle surfaces — alters the sinking behavior of microplastics, finding that biofouled particles sink faster and are more likely to reach seafloor sediments.
Microplastics in the marine environment: A review of their sources, distribution processes, uptake and exchange in ecosystems
Researchers reviewed the literature on how microplastics move through marine environments, finding that while plastic density helps predict vertical distribution in the water column, biological interactions — such as ingestion and biofouling — better explain why buoyant plastics end up at great ocean depths and transfer through food webs. The review underscores that microplastic bioaccumulation is driven as much by ecology as by physical properties.
Microplastic Ingestion by Gelatinous Zooplankton May Lower Efficiency of the Biological Pump
Researchers found that microplastic ingestion by salps (Salpa fusiformis) at environmentally realistic concentrations reduced the density and sinking speed of their fecal pellets, suggesting that widespread microplastic contamination could impair the biological pump's ability to sequester carbon in the deep ocean.
Modelling the Influence from Biota and Organic Matter on the Transport Dynamics of Microplastics in the Water Column and Bottom Sediments in the Oslo Fjord
Researchers modeled how seasonal biological activity, biofouling, and zooplankton fecal pellet production affect the vertical transport and sediment burial of microplastics in Oslo Fjord. The model demonstrated that biotic factors significantly alter microplastic sinking rates and sediment accumulation patterns across seasons.
The factors influencing the vertical transport of microplastics in marine environment: A review
This review examines the factors that cause microplastics to sink from the ocean surface to deeper waters and sediments, including particle properties, biofouling by marine organisms, and interactions with marine snow. Researchers found that biological processes like ingestion and egestion by marine animals play a major role in transporting even lightweight plastics to the seafloor. Understanding these vertical transport mechanisms is essential for accurately assessing where microplastics accumulate in the ocean.
Sinking rates of microplastics and potential implications of their alteration by physical, biological, and chemical factors
Researchers conducted sinking experiments with diverse microplastic particles and found that sinking velocity depends not only on density and size but also on particle shape, and that biofouling and weathering can substantially alter sinking rates with implications for how microplastics distribute through the water column.
A review of possible pathways of marine microplastics transport in the ocean
This review examines the major pathways by which marine microplastics are transported through the ocean, including surface currents, vertical mixing, biological uptake, and seafloor deposition. Understanding these transport mechanisms is essential for predicting where plastic pollution accumulates and how it affects marine ecosystems.
Biological effects on the migration and transformation of microplastics in the marine environment
This review synthesizes how biological activities including biofouling, ingestion, and biodegradation influence the migration, distribution, and transformation of microplastics in marine environments across four key mechanisms.
Microplastics may reduce the efficiency of the biological carbon pump by decreasing the settling velocity and carbon content of marine snow
Researchers found that microplastic fibers reduce the efficiency of the ocean's biological carbon pump by slowing the sinking of marine snow — clumps of organic material that carry carbon to the deep sea. This suggests that microplastic pollution could interfere with a key natural climate regulation mechanism by altering how carbon moves from surface waters to the ocean floor.
From the surface to the seafloor: How giant larvaceans transport microplastics into the deep sea
Giant larvaceans — abundant gelatinous zooplankton — were shown in direct ocean observations to capture microplastics of all sizes in their mucus feeding structures and then package them into dense sinking fecal pellets. This biological pump mechanism could be a significant pathway for transporting microplastics from the surface ocean to the deep seafloor.
Role of Marine Snows in Microplastic Fate and Bioavailability
Laboratory experiments demonstrated that marine snow — organic aggregates formed naturally in the ocean — can incorporate microplastics and transport them from surface waters toward the seafloor. The findings provide a physical mechanism explaining how buoyant microplastics sink to become a major component of seafloor sediment pollution.
The biological plastic pump: Evidence from a local case study using blue mussel and infaunal benthic communities
This study provides experimental evidence that blue mussels accelerate the sinking of microplastics from surface water to the seafloor by aggregating them in their fecal pellets. This biological process — called the biological plastic pump — may explain why seafloor sediments often contain high microplastic concentrations despite lower levels in surface water above.
A Numerical Model Approach Toward a Settling Process and Feedback Loop of Ocean Microplastics Absorbed Into Phytoplankton Aggregates
Researchers developed a numerical model to simulate how buoyant microplastics are absorbed into sinking phytoplankton aggregates during algal blooms, causing them to settle toward the seafloor at measurable rates. The model successfully reproduced observed vertical profiles of microplastic abundance in the ocean, including subsurface concentration peaks that simple buoyancy models cannot explain. This work clarifies an important mechanism by which microplastics are transported from the ocean surface to deep sediments, where they accumulate long-term.
Can microplastics pose a threat to ocean carbon sequestration?
This paper explores whether microplastic pollution in the ocean could interfere with carbon sequestration processes, including the biological carbon pump that moves carbon to the deep sea through sinking organic matter. If microplastics disrupt phytoplankton, zooplankton, or marine snow formation, they could undermine one of the ocean's key roles in regulating global climate.