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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Supplementary material from "Rapid aggregation of biofilm-covered microplastics with marine biogenic particles"
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.
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.
Sinking of microbial-associated microplastics in natural waters
Researchers investigated how microbial biofilm colonization of microplastics affects their buoyancy and sinking behavior in natural waters, finding that biological ballasting from attached microorganisms can significantly increase particle density and promote vertical transport toward sediments. The results suggest that biofouling is a key mechanism driving the removal of microplastics from surface waters.
Biofilm Formation Influences the Wettability and Settling of Microplastics
This study found that biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces does not necessarily increase particle mass density enough to cause sinking, contradicting a common assumption. Instead, changes in particle wettability caused by biofilm were identified as a critical mechanism controlling microplastic vertical transport in the ocean.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Biofouling, metal sorption and aggregation are related to sinking of microplastics in a stratified reservoir
In a freshwater reservoir study, biofouling on microplastic surfaces did not cause polyethylene particles to sink, but a mixing event that brought iron-rich anoxic water to the surface triggered aggregation of PE particles with organic matter and iron minerals, causing them to sink. The study reveals that episodic environmental events, not just steady biofouling, can drive microplastic sedimentation.
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.
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.
Non-buoyant microplastic settling velocity varies with biofilm growth and ambient water salinity
Researchers investigated how biofilms (thin layers of bacteria that grow on plastic surfaces), water salinity, and suspended clay affect how fast microplastics sink in water, finding that biofilm growth alone increased sinking speed by up to 130% within just hours. These findings show that current models predicting where microplastics end up in rivers and oceans are too simplistic, and that biological and chemical conditions must be factored in for accurate predictions.
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.
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.
Modeling submerged biofouled microplastics and their vertical trajectories
Researchers modeled how biofouling — the growth of algae and microbes on plastic surfaces — affects the vertical movement of microplastic particles in the open ocean. Biofouling increased sinking rates, causing microplastics to accumulate at depth rather than floating at the surface. This has implications for understanding where microplastics end up in the water column and how they are ingested by deep-water organisms.
Biofouling on buoyant marine plastics: An experimental study into the effect of size on surface longevity
Researchers tested how quickly marine organisms colonize floating plastic debris of different sizes and whether this biofouling causes the plastics to sink. They found that smaller microplastics accumulated enough biological growth to lose buoyancy and begin sinking within weeks, much faster than larger pieces. The study helps explain why smaller microplastics are unexpectedly scarce at the ocean surface, as biofouling may be rapidly transporting them to deeper waters and sediments.
Effects of Biofouling on the Properties and Sinking Behavior of Disposable Face Masks in Seawater: A Systematic Comparison with Microplastic Films and Particles
A 16-week seawater incubation showed that disposable face masks accumulated biofilm at roughly ten times the rate of microplastic films or particles, causing the masks to eventually sink rather than float at the surface. This demonstrates that mask-derived microplastic fibers are rapidly transferred to the seafloor, where their ecological impacts and persistence may be far greater than previously assumed.
Biofilm growth on buoyant microplastics leads to changes in settling rates: Implications for microplastic retention in the Great Lakes
Researchers measured biofilm-induced density changes and sinking rates for buoyant polyethylene microplastics in Great Lakes water, finding that biofouling caused particles to sink within days to weeks, with implications for predicting where microplastics accumulate in large lake systems.
Assessing the Settling Velocity of Biofilm-Encrusted Microplastics: Accounting for Biofilms as an Equivalent to Surface Roughness
This study investigated how biofilm growth on microplastics affects their sinking behavior in water. Researchers found that treating the biofilm as a form of surface roughness helps accurately predict how quickly biofouled plastic particles settle, with polyethylene particles sinking sooner than polypropylene ones. The findings improve our understanding of how microplastics move through water columns once marine organisms begin colonizing their surfaces.
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.
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.
Ups and Downs in the Ocean: Effects of Biofouling on Vertical Transport of Microplastics
Researchers developed the first theoretical model to simulate how biofouling, the growth of microbial biofilms on plastic surfaces, affects the vertical movement of microplastics in the ocean. The model predicts that depending on particle size and density, fouled microplastics may float, sink to the seafloor, or oscillate at intermediate depths. These findings help explain why small microplastics seem to disappear from the ocean surface and suggest they may concentrate at mid-water depths where vulnerable species live.
Integrated effects of polymer type, size and shape on the sinking dynamics of biofouled microplastics
Researchers investigated how polymer type, size, and shape interact with biofouling to influence microplastic sinking dynamics, finding that biofilm growth altered buoyancy and settling rates in ways that depend on the physical characteristics of each particle.
The Importance of Biofilms on Microplastic Particles in Their Sinking Behavior and the Transfer of Invasive Organisms between Ecosystems
This review explores how biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces, known as the plastisphere, affects the transport and ecological impact of plastic particles in marine environments. Researchers found that biofilm colonization can cause microplastics to sink from the ocean surface, altering their distribution through the water column, while also providing a habitat that protects invasive microbial species. The study suggests that some plastisphere organisms with plastic-degrading abilities could potentially be harnessed for marine pollution cleanup strategies.