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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to A Critical Examination of the Role of Marine Snow and Zooplankton Fecal Pellets in Removing Ocean Surface Microplastic
ClearSlow 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
An approach for extraction, characterization and quantitation of microplastic in natural marine snow using Raman microscopy
This study demonstrated that marine snow — the organic aggregates that sink continuously through the ocean — incorporates microplastics and transports them toward the seafloor. The finding identifies biological particle aggregation as an important mechanism for removing microplastics from the upper ocean and depositing them in deep-sea sediments.
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.
The global biological microplastic particle sink
This study examined the role of biological processes — including ingestion, biofouling, and sinking of fecal pellets — in creating a global biological sink for microplastic particles at depth in the ocean. It estimated that roughly 4% of annual plastic waste enters the ocean, and biological packaging of plastics into dense aggregates and fecal pellets accelerates particle sinking.
Marine snow as vectors for microplastic transport: Multiple aggregation cycles account for the settling of buoyant microplastics to deep‐sea sediments
Researchers developed a model explaining how buoyant microplastics end up in deep-sea sediments through repeated cycles of incorporation into marine snow aggregates. They showed that multiple aggregation-sinking-disaggregation cycles can progressively transport low-density microplastics from the ocean surface to the seafloor. The study provides the first comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding the full journey of buoyant microplastics from surface waters to deep-sea deposits.
Microplastics Are the Not-So-Secret Ingredient in Marine Snow
Microplastics are now recognized as a component of marine snow — the particles of organic material that sink from the ocean surface to the seafloor. Plastic particles coated with biofilms act like natural organic aggregates, carrying carbon into the deep ocean and potentially altering the marine carbon cycle.
Microplastics may reduce the efficiency of the biological carbon pump by decreasing the settling velocity and carbon content of marine snow
Researchers found that microfibers incorporated into marine snow aggregates reduced both the settling velocity and carbon content of these particles. The study suggests that microplastic contamination could impair the biological carbon pump, the ocean's key mechanism for transporting carbon from surface waters to the deep sea, with potential implications for marine carbon cycling.
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.
Why biofouling cannot contribute to the vertical transport of small microplastic
This modeling study examined why even buoyant microplastics like polyethylene and polypropylene are found at high concentrations in deep sediment traps and deep-sea sediments, despite expectations that they would float. The analysis demonstrated that biofouling alone cannot explain vertical transport of small microplastics, pointing to other mechanisms such as aggregation with marine snow as more likely drivers of deep-sea deposition.
effects of microplastic contamination of marine snow on the deep sea food chain and carbon sequestration by phytoplankton
This study examines the effects of microplastic contamination of marine snow on the deep-sea food chain and on carbon sequestration by phytoplankton, investigating how microplastics alter the biological pump that transports organic carbon from surface waters to the deep ocean. The findings highlight microplastics as a disruptive factor in deep-sea carbon cycling and trophic energy transfer pathways.
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.
Microplastics affect marine snow formation and sinking to the ocean's interior
Researchers conducted laboratory and onboard ship incubations to investigate how microplastics influence marine snow formation and sinking behavior, finding that microplastics significantly enhanced aggregate formation by providing hydrophobic interfaces that promote adhesion with organic matter, with polymer density and morphology modulating aggregate sinking rates.
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.
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.
Dispersion, accumulation and the ultimate fate of microplastics in deep-marine environments: A review and future directions
This review synthesized existing knowledge on microplastic distribution in deep-marine environments, integrating process-based sedimentological transport models with field data to outline how microplastics disperse, accumulate, and become buried in seafloor sediments, and identifying key gaps for future research.
Transport and Settling of Microplastics in Turbidity Currents
Researchers investigated the transport and settling behavior of microplastics in turbidity currents to help explain the 'missing plastic' paradox, where far less plastic remains at the ocean surface than the amount estimated to enter the ocean annually. The study found that turbidity currents efficiently transport microplastics to deep-sea sediments, providing a mechanism for the removal of plastic from surface waters.
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.
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.
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.
Modelling 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.