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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to The impact of nanoplastics on marine dissolved organic matter assembly
ClearRapid 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.
Agglomeration of nano- and microplastic particles in seawater by autochthonous and de novo-produced sources of exopolymeric substances
Nano- and microplastic particles in seawater were found to readily form agglomerates with naturally produced exopolymeric substances, altering their surface properties, size, and sinking behavior compared to pristine particles. The study demonstrates that natural organic matter in seawater fundamentally changes how plastic particles behave and interact with marine organisms and sediments.
Sediment organic carbon dominates the heteroaggregation of suspended sediment and nanoplastics in natural and surfactant-polluted aquatic environments
Researchers found that sediment organic carbon plays a dominant role in the heteroaggregation of nanoplastics with suspended sediment particles, with surfactant pollution altering aggregation dynamics and influencing the environmental transport and fate of nanoplastics in aquatic systems.
Cell size matters: nano- and micro-plastics preferentially drive declines of large marine phytoplankton due to co-aggregation
Nano- and microplastics aggregated preferentially with large marine phytoplankton, causing them to sink faster and reducing their abundance relative to small cells. This selective removal could disrupt marine food webs and reduce the ocean's ability to absorb carbon.
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.
Sizeand Structure-DependentMolecular FingerprintTransformation of Microplastic-Derived Dissolved Organic Matter inSunlit Seawater: Implication for Marine Carbon Cycles
Researchers investigated how the size and structure of microplastics influence the photochemical transformation of microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter in sunlit seawater, finding that inherent polymer properties shape the molecular fingerprint changes with implications for marine carbon cycling.
Sizeand Structure-DependentMolecular FingerprintTransformation of Microplastic-Derived Dissolved Organic Matter inSunlit Seawater: Implication for Marine Carbon Cycles
Researchers investigated how the size and structure of microplastics influence the photochemical transformation of microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter in sunlit seawater, finding that inherent polymer properties shape the molecular fingerprint changes with implications for marine carbon cycling.
Heteroaggregation kinetics of nanoplastics and soot nanoparticles in aquatic environments
Researchers examined how polystyrene nanoplastics and soot particles aggregate together in aquatic environments, finding that particle ratio, salinity, pH, and dissolved organic matter all influence clumping rates — with calcium ions dramatically accelerating aggregation and potentially altering nanoplastic transport in coastal and marine waters.
Mechanistic understanding of the aggregation kinetics of nanoplastics in marine environments: Comparing synthetic and natural water matrices
Researchers investigated aggregation kinetics of polystyrene nanoplastics in marine environments, finding that organic matter type and salt concentration strongly influenced particle stability, with nanoplastics in natural seawater aggregating differently than in synthetic matrices.
Molecular modeling to elucidate the dynamic interaction process and aggregation mechanism between natural organic matters and nanoplastics
Researchers used molecular modeling to understand how nanoplastics interact with natural organic matter found in water environments. They found that the chemical properties of both the plastic surface and the organic molecules determined whether they clumped together or remained dispersed. The study provides new molecular-level insights into how nanoplastics behave and spread in natural water systems, which is important for predicting their environmental fate.
Nano-plastics induce aquatic particulate organic matter (microgels) formation
Researchers found that 25 nm polystyrene nanoparticles in lake and river water promoted the formation of particulate organic matter microgels and accelerated the transition from dissolved to particulate organic matter through hydrophobic interactions. Adjusting salinity to simulate river-to-sea transport showed that specific salinity levels further drive settling of the plastic-organic aggregates, with implications for organic carbon cycling and microplastic fate in aquatic systems.
Molecular-level insights into derivation dynamics of microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter
Researchers used molecular-level analysis to investigate the formation dynamics of dissolved organic matter derived from microplastics (MPs-DOM) in natural surface waters, finding that this ubiquitous contaminant affects not only aquatic organisms but also undergoes complex chemical transformations that influence its environmental fate and toxicological relevance.
Biofouling impacts on polyethylene density and sinking in coastal waters: A macro/micro tipping point?
Researchers measured biofouling-induced density changes in polyethylene microplastic particles deployed in coastal waters and found that biofouling caused buoyant particles to sink on timescales of days to weeks, challenging assumptions about surface plastic persistence and potentially explaining the missing plastic paradox.
Microplastics increase the marine production of particulate forms of organic matter
Researchers added polystyrene microbeads to oligotrophic seawater mesocosms and monitored organic matter and microbial dynamics over 12 days, finding that microplastics significantly increased the production of organic carbon and its aggregation into gel-like particles. The results suggest that microplastic-stimulated biofilm formation enhances particulate organic matter production with potential consequences for the marine biological pump and plastic transport.
Effects of organic matter on interaction forces between polystyrene microplastics: An experimental study
Researchers examined how organic matter in seawater affects the aggregation and adhesion forces between polystyrene microplastics, finding that organic coatings alter surface interaction forces in ways that influence whether microplastics clump together and sink or remain dispersed in the water column.
Photochemical dissolution of buoyant microplastics to dissolved organic carbon: Rates and microbial impacts
Common ocean surface microplastics (PE, PP, EPS) were irradiated under simulated sunlight, which fragmented and oxidized the polymers and produced dissolved organic carbon as a significant byproduct. The study identifies sunlight-driven photochemical dissolution as an important but poorly quantified removal mechanism for buoyant microplastics from the ocean surface.
Microbial carrying capacity and carbon biomass of plastic marine debris
Researchers estimated the microbial carrying capacity and carbon biomass of floating marine plastic debris, finding that the collective surface area of ocean plastic supports a substantial microbial community whose carbon biomass, while modest relative to total ocean microbial carbon, represents a novel and persistent ecological niche with potential biogeochemical significance.
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.
Sedimentation behavior of aggregated microplastics: Influence of particle size and water constituents in environmental waters
Laboratory experiments investigated how aggregation of microplastics with sediments and organic matter affects their sinking rates in water, finding that aggregate composition strongly influences settling velocity. These findings improve models predicting whether microplastics sink to the seafloor or remain suspended in the water column.
Microplastics Contamination versus Inorganic Particles: Effects on the Dynamics of Marine Dissolved Organic Matter
This study compared how microplastic contamination affects the cycling of dissolved organic carbon in seawater versus the effects of naturally occurring inorganic particles, finding that microplastics have distinct impacts on organic matter dynamics. The results suggest microplastics may alter carbon cycling in the ocean in ways that natural particles do not.
Impact of different modes of adsorption of natural organic matter on the environmental fate of nanoplastics
Natural organic matter in water can stabilize nanoplastics by coating their surfaces and preventing them from clumping together and settling out, with different types of organic matter working through different physical mechanisms. Understanding this stabilization effect is important for predicting how long nanoplastics remain suspended in aquatic environments.
Heteroaggregation, disaggregation, and migration of nanoplastics with nanosized activated carbon in aquatic environments: Effects of particle property, water chemistry, and hydrodynamic condition
Researchers studied how nanosized activated carbon interacts with positively and negatively charged nanoplastics under various water chemistry and hydrodynamic conditions. They found that aggregation behavior depended strongly on particle charge, pH, and the presence of natural organic matter like humic acid. The study suggests that interactions with engineered nanomaterials in aquatic environments can significantly influence how far nanoplastics travel, with implications for predicting their environmental fate.
Effect of the Surface Hydrophobicity–Morphology–Functionality of Nanoplastics on Their Homoaggregation in Seawater
Researchers found that nanoplastic surface hydrophobicity, morphology, and functional chemistry strongly govern homoaggregation behavior in aquatic environments, with more hydrophobic and functionalized particles forming larger, faster-settling aggregates that alter their environmental fate and bioavailability.
Impacts of Biofilm Formation on the Fate and Potential Effects of Microplastic in the Aquatic Environment
Researchers reviewed how biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces affects the fate and potential ecological effects of microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that biofilms alter particle buoyancy, surface chemistry, and interactions with organisms.