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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Sinking microplastics at a deep-sea seamount in the North Atlantic: a year-long flux study
ClearDeep-sea microplastics aging and migration exerted by seamount topography and biotopes in the subtropic Northwest Pacific Ocean
This study investigated how seamount topography influences the aging and vertical migration of microplastics in the deep sea, finding that seamount-induced flow patterns promote particle sinking and accumulation of aged microplastics in benthic zones. The work highlights deep-sea seamounts as hotspots for microplastic deposition.
Falling into the darkness – microplastics sinking fluxes in the deep sea
Researchers deployed a sediment trap at 230 metres depth on the Condor seamount in the Azores for 12 months, collecting 18 sequential samples to quantify seasonal patterns in microplastic sinking fluxes and investigate the mechanisms by which floating microplastics are transported to the deep sea.
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.
Falling into the darkness – microplastics sinking fluxes in the deep sea
Researchers quantified the seasonal sinking flux of microplastics over a 12-month period using a sediment trap deployed at 230 metres depth on the Condor seamount in the Azores, collecting 18 samples each representing 20 days of particle accumulation. The study aimed to clarify the mechanisms — including biofouling and incorporation into particulate organic matter — by which surface microplastics are transported to deep-sea environments.
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.
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.
Vertical flux of microplastic, a case study in the Southern Ocean, South Georgia
Researchers deployed floating sediment traps in the Southern Ocean near South Georgia to measure the vertical flux of microplastics, finding that sinking of microplastics represents a significant and understudied pathway for removing plastic from the ocean surface into deep water.
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.
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.
A novel method enabling the accurate quantification of microplastics in the water column of deep ocean
A new sampling method was developed to accurately measure microplastics in the deep ocean water column, addressing gaps left by traditional net trawls that miss very small particles. Reliable deep-sea sampling is critical since the deep ocean is thought to be a major sink for global microplastic pollution.
Deep-sea litter: a comparison of seamounts, banks and a ridge in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans reveals both environmental and anthropogenic factors impact accumulation and composition
Researchers compared deep-sea litter accumulation on seamounts, banks, and a ridge across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, finding that both environmental factors — such as current patterns and depth — and anthropogenic factors — including proximity to shipping lanes and fishing activity — influenced litter abundance and composition. Plastic items dominated at all sites, with fishing-related debris particularly prominent on seamounts.
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.
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.
Dispersion, Accumulation, and the Ultimate Fate of Microplastics in Deep-Marine Environments: A Review and Future Directions
This review synthesizes knowledge about how microplastics are transported to and accumulate in deep-marine environments, which may serve as the ultimate sink for ocean plastic pollution. Researchers integrated sedimentological models to explain how ocean currents, density flows, and settling processes deliver microplastics to the seafloor. The study highlights that deep-sea environments, often considered pristine, are increasingly contaminated with microplastic particles.
Plastics from Surfaceto Seabed: Vertical Distributionof (Micro)plastic Particles in the North Pacific Ocean
Researchers investigated the vertical distribution of microplastics from surface waters to deep-sea sediments (>5 km) in the North Pacific Ocean, documenting concentrations of 8-2600 items/m3 in the water column and 1100-3200 items/kg in sediments across the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, Papahanaumokuakea Monument, and a less-polluted reference site.
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.
Effects of Plastic Pollution on Deep Ocean Biota and Ecosystems
This article examines how plastic pollution affects deep ocean ecosystems, describing how plastics sink to the seafloor and potentially affect deep-sea biota through ingestion, toxin introduction, transport of invasive species, and alteration of seafloor substrate from soft to hard bottom. The deep ocean acts as a long-term sink for plastic pollution with poorly understood ecological consequences.
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.
Weathered microplastics alter deep sea benthic biogeochemistry and organic matter cycling: insights from a microcosm experiment
Weathered (aged) microplastics deposited in deep-sea sediments were found to alter benthic biogeochemical cycles, affecting nitrogen and carbon processing by seafloor microorganisms. The findings show that plastic pollution can disrupt the chemical ecology of even the most remote deep-ocean environments.
First evidence of plastic fallout from the North Pacific Garbage Patch
Researchers provided the first direct evidence that plastic debris from the North Pacific Garbage Patch sinks into the deep ocean, with plastic concentrations declining in a predictable pattern as depth increases. The polymer types found in the deep water matched those floating at the surface, confirming that surface garbage patches are a source of deep-sea plastic contamination.
Deep-ocean seafloor islands of plastics
Deep-ocean sediment transport processes concentrate microplastics into underwater islands or hotspots, similar to how they concentrate fine organic particles, making the deep seafloor a major repository for plastic pollution.
High Quantities of Microplastic in Arctic Deep-Sea Sediments from the HAUSGARTEN Observatory
Researchers found high quantities of microplastics in deep-sea sediments from the Arctic HAUSGARTEN observatory, demonstrating that even remote deep Arctic seafloor environments have accumulated significant microplastic pollution.
Seafloor microplastic hotspots controlled by deep-sea circulation
Researchers discovered that deep-sea ocean currents, not just vertical settling from the surface, play a major role in concentrating microplastics on the seafloor, creating pollution hotspots with the highest concentrations ever recorded in any seafloor setting. These thermohaline-driven bottom currents sort and accumulate microplastics in the same areas where they deliver oxygen and nutrients to deep-sea life. The findings suggest that the most biologically rich areas of the deep ocean floor are likely also the most contaminated with microplastics.
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.