Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Plastic microfibre ingestion by deep-sea organisms

Researchers provided the first evidence that microplastics are being ingested and internalized by deep-sea organisms living on the ocean floor. The study found plastic microfibres in multiple deep-water species, demonstrating that microplastic contamination has already reached some of the most remote habitats on Earth.

2016 Scientific Reports 491 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2013 Environmental Pollution 1521 citations
Article Tier 2

Consistent microplastic ingestion by deep-sea invertebrates over the last four decades (1976–2015), a study from the North East Atlantic

Researchers found consistent microplastic ingestion by deep-sea invertebrates in the North East Atlantic over a 40-year period from 1976 to 2015, demonstrating that microplastic contamination of remote deep-sea habitats is a long-standing and persistent problem.

2018 Environmental Pollution 108 citations
Article Tier 2

Unseen pollutants: Microplastics in deep-sea invertebrates

Microplastics were detected in deep-sea invertebrates from multiple ocean basins, confirming that plastic contamination has penetrated to organisms living in the darkest, most remote zones of the ocean. This finding raises concerns about the ecological and food-web implications of deep-sea microplastic exposure.

2025 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2020 Environmental Pollution 378 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of Microplastics from Deep-Sea Antarctic and West Coast North American Sediments

Microplastics were identified in deep-sea sediments from both Antarctic and North American Pacific sites, confirming that plastic pollution has reached even the most remote ocean floor environments far from human activity.

2023 Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University)
Article Tier 2

>b/b<: influence of feeding mode on microplastic intake by benthic organisms and detection of persistent organic pollutants in biological and sediment samples

This study investigated micropollutant accumulation including microplastics in deep-sea organisms from the Southern Atlantic, examining how feeding mode influences contaminant intake. Results showed that filter feeders and deposit feeders accumulated different levels of microplastics and chemical pollutants, reflecting the deep sea's vulnerability to surface pollution.

2024
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the abyss: a first investigation into sediments at 2443-m depth (Toulon, France)

Researchers conducted the first microplastic investigation of deep-sea sediments at 2,443-m depth near Toulon, France, finding microplastics present in abyssal sediments and suggesting that deep-sea environments are not isolated from surface plastic pollution.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Synthetic and Semi-Synthetic Microplastic Ingestion by Mesopelagic Fishes From Tristan da Cunha and St Helena, South Atlantic

Scientists examined the digestive tracts of deep-sea mesopelagic fish from the remote South Atlantic and found microplastics in their intestines. The presence of plastic in fish at depths down to 1,000 meters in one of the most isolated ocean regions confirms that microplastic contamination has reached even the deep ocean.

2021 Frontiers in Marine Science 23 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 174 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Contamination of a Benthic Ecosystem in a Hydrothermal Vent

Researchers documented microplastic contamination in a deep-sea hydrothermal vent at the Central Indian Ridge for the first time. The study found microplastics in seawater, sediments, and all six major benthic species examined, with polypropylene, PET, and polystyrene fragments being the most common types, demonstrating that plastic pollution has reached even extreme deep-sea environments.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Micropoluentes no mar profundo: influência do modo alimentar na ingestão de microplásticos em organismos bentônicos e detecção de poluentes orgânicos persistentes em amostras biológicas e de sedimento

This Portuguese-language study examined micropollutant exposure including microplastics in deep-sea organisms from the Southern Atlantic, analyzing how feeding mode determines microplastic ingestion across different species. The research found that even the most remote marine habitats on Earth harbor plastic contamination detectable in deep-sea fauna.

2024 Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (Universidade de São Paulo)
Article Tier 2

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.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 66 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparison of Microplastic abundance in varying depths of deep-sea sediments, Bay of Bengal

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in deep-sea sediment samples from the Bay of Bengal at depths of 225 to 1,070 meters, finding the highest concentrations at intermediate depths. The findings add to evidence that microplastics have penetrated into deep-sea environments far from the surface.

2022 OCEANS 2022 - Chennai 7 citations
Article Tier 2

High Abundances of Microplastic Pollution in Deep-Sea Sediments: Evidence from Antarctica and the Southern Ocean

Microplastic pollution was investigated in deep-sea sediments from Antarctic and Southern Ocean regions, finding high abundances that varied among sites. The study confirmed that microplastics are accumulating in the remote Antarctic deep-sea environment, with evidence going back to scientific literature from the 1980s that has accelerated in recent years.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 289 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and synthetic particles ingested by deep-sea amphipods in six of the deepest marine ecosystems on Earth

Amphipod crustaceans from six of the deepest Pacific ocean trenches (7,000–10,890 m depth) were examined for microplastic ingestion, with over 72% of the 90 individuals containing at least one microparticle, including fibers, films, and fragments of polyethylene terephthalate and nylon. The study provides the first evidence that microplastic contamination reaches the deepest inhabited parts of the world's oceans.

2019 Royal Society Open Science 429 citations
Article Tier 2

Prevalence of microplastics and anthropogenic debris within a deep-sea food web

Researchers documented microplastic prevalence across 17 genera spanning approximately five trophic levels in the Monterey Bay submarine canyon food web, finding evidence of trophic transfer of microplastics through the deep-sea ecosystem and higher contamination in organisms from mid-water and benthic habitats.

2021 Marine Ecology Progress Series 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Low prevalence of microplastic contamination in the bottom sediments and deep-sea waters of the Bransfield strait, Antarctica

Researchers conducted a baseline assessment of microplastic contamination in the deep-sea waters and bottom sediments of the Bransfield Strait in Antarctica. They found a low but measurable prevalence of suspected microplastic particles, predominantly fibers, even in this remote deep-sea environment. The findings confirm that microplastic pollution has reached some of the most isolated marine habitats on Earth.

2024 Chemosphere 11 citations
Article Tier 2

The deep sea is a major sink for microplastic debris

Researchers analyzed deep-sea sediments from the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indian Ocean and found microplastic fibers up to 4 orders of magnitude more concentrated than at the contaminated sea surface, identifying the deep seafloor as a vast and previously unknown repository of the world's 'missing' plastic.

2014 Royal Society Open Science 1868 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic in the stomachs of open-ocean and deep-sea fishes of the North-East Atlantic

Researchers investigated microplastic occurrence in the stomachs of 390 fish from three pelagic and two deep-sea species in the North-East Atlantic, comparing plastic ingestion between fish occupying contrasting ocean compartments. The study documented microplastic presence across species at different depths, highlighting how plastic contamination extends throughout the oceanic water column.

2020 Environmental Pollution 116 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 Environmental Pollution 26 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2017 Environmental Science & Technology 836 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2017 Frontiers in Marine Science 308 citations