Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The role of mesopelagic fishes as microplastics vectors across the deep-sea layers from the Southwestern Tropical Atlantic

Mesopelagic fish from the Southwestern Tropical Atlantic were examined as vectors of microplastics between surface waters and deep-sea layers, with plastics found in their digestive tracts and their vertical migration behavior identified as a transport mechanism. The study suggests that diel migrating fish can actively carry microplastics from surface feeding zones to deeper waters during downward migration.

2022 Environmental Pollution 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Frequency of Microplastics in Mesopelagic Fishes from the Northwest Atlantic

Microplastics were found in the stomachs of mesopelagic fish collected from the Northwest Atlantic, with ingestion rates and particle types varying by species and depth. The study expands the known distribution of microplastic ingestion into deep-water fish communities, suggesting that plastic contamination has penetrated even mid-water food webs far from the surface.

2018 Frontiers in Marine Science 201 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

Microplastic contamination in large migratory fishes collected in the open Atlantic Ocean

Researchers found microplastic contamination in large migratory fish collected during a circumnavigation of the Atlantic Ocean, with all seven commercially important species containing microplastics predominantly as fibers in their gastrointestinal tracts.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract of pelagic and demersal fish from the English Channel

Researchers examined the gastrointestinal tracts of both pelagic and demersal fish species and found microplastics in individuals from both groups, suggesting that microplastic ingestion occurs across fish species regardless of their position in the water column.

2012 Marine Pollution Bulletin 1993 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

Microplastics Contamination of Large Pelagic Fish in the Open Atlantic Ocean

Researchers analyzed microplastic contamination in large pelagic fish including tunas, mackerels, and amberjacks collected from the open Atlantic Ocean to assess plastic exposure in top predators. They found microplastics present in fish from even remote open-ocean habitats, demonstrating the ubiquity of microplastic contamination and the utility of large migratory fish as indicators of ocean health.

2022 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Influencing factors for microplastic intake in abundant deep-sea lanternfishes (Myctophidae)

Researchers found microplastics in 68% of mesopelagic lanternfish from the Southwestern Tropical Atlantic, with body size and feeding depth identified as key factors influencing microplastic intake in these abundant deep-sea fish.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the bioaccumulation of microplastics in commercially important fish species

Researchers assessed microplastic accumulation in commercially important fish species from coastal and offshore waters, finding significant differences between species based on feeding strategies and habitat depth. Filter feeders and omnivorous species accumulated more microplastics than others, reflecting diet-based differences across trophic levels. The study raises concerns about human dietary exposure to microplastics through widely consumed seafood products.

2025 International Journal of Aquatic Research and Environmental Studies 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Pelagic distribution of plastic debris (> 500 µm) and marine organisms in the upper layer of the North Atlantic Ocean

Researchers mapped the vertical distribution of plastic debris in the upper 300 meters of the North Atlantic Ocean, finding that plastic concentrations drop rapidly below the surface and that subsurface plastics overlap spatially with key planktonic organisms.

2022 Scientific Reports 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and potential effects of plastic ingestion by pelagic and demersal fish from the North Sea and Baltic Sea

Researchers examined the occurrence and potential effects of plastic ingestion in pelagic and bottom-dwelling fish from the North Sea and Baltic Sea, finding plastics in both groups. The study contributed to baseline knowledge of microplastic ingestion rates in commercially important fish species in European seas.

2014 Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung (Alfred-Wegener-Institut) 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion of microplastics by pelagic fish from the Moroccan Central Atlantic coast

Researchers found microplastics in the stomachs of three small pelagic fish species caught along the Moroccan Central Atlantic coast, confirming plastic ingestion in commercially important species in a region where marine litter is predominantly plastic. The study adds to growing evidence of microplastic contamination in North African Atlantic fisheries.

2020 Environmental Pollution 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Does the microplastics ingestion patterns and polymer composition vary across the oceanic zones? A case study from the Indian coast

Researchers examined microplastic ingestion in 27 species of deep-sea fish from the Central Indian Ocean and found contamination in 19 of them, with PET being the most common polymer. The study suggests that feeding behavior, rather than habitat depth or trophic level, is the primary factor influencing how much microplastic deep-sea fish ingest, and proposes these fish could serve as indicators for monitoring deep-sea plastic pollution.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic intake in epi- and mesopelagic fish and squid species from an oceanic environment (NE Atlantic)

Researchers investigated microplastic ingestion in epi- and mesopelagic fish and squid species from the open NE Atlantic Ocean, documenting contamination in oceanic species that may confuse microplastics with similarly sized and colored planktonic prey.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology 73 citations
Article Tier 2

The vertical distribution and biological transport of marine microplastics across the epipelagic and mesopelagic water column

Remotely operated vehicles and custom samplers were used to collect microplastics from depths of 5–1000 m in Monterey Bay, finding that microplastic concentrations in mesopelagic waters (200–600 m depth) were comparable to or higher than surface concentrations. The study demonstrates that the deep ocean is not merely a sink but an active reservoir of microplastics vertically transported by biological organisms.

2019 Scientific Reports 539 citations
Article Tier 2

The effect of planktivorous fish on the vertical flux of polystyrene microplastics

Researchers experimentally tested whether planktivorous fish accelerate the vertical flux of polystyrene microplastics to sediments in thermally stratified water columns, finding that fish actively transport microplastic beads downward through combined sedimentation enhancement and vertical migration behavior.

2023 The European Zoological Journal 5 citations
Article Tier 2

The influences of spatial-temporal variability and ecological drivers on microplastic in marine fish in Hong Kong

Researchers found that over 57% of marine fish in Hong Kong waters contained microplastics, with higher abundance in fish from more polluted western waters during the wet season, and that omnivorous fish ingested significantly more microplastics than carnivorous fish regardless of collection location or season.

2023 Environmental Pollution 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Zooplankton exposure to microplastics at global scale: Influence of vertical distribution and seasonality

Researchers used a global ocean model to assess zooplankton exposure to microplastics, finding that exposure varies significantly with depth, season, and zooplankton vertical migration patterns, with highest concentrations in subtropical gyres and near coastal pollution sources.

2022 Frontiers in Marine Science 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of biological and environmental factors on microplastic ingestion of commercial fish species

Researchers analyzed microplastic ingestion in commercially important fish species, evaluating how biological and environmental factors influence ingestion rates across 2,222 individual fish. The study assessed gastrointestinal tract contents to determine the extent and patterns of microplastic contamination. The findings suggest that both species-specific biology and environmental conditions play important roles in determining microplastic ingestion levels in commercial fish.

2022 Chemosphere 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic ingestion by deep‐pelagic crustaceans and fishes

Among 557 individual deep-pelagic crustaceans and fishes from the Gulf of Mexico, 29% of crustaceans and 26% of fishes had ingested microplastics, with ingestion rates in non-migratory fishes increasing with depth and reaching 40% at 1200-1500 m, suggesting plastic accumulates at greater ocean depths.

2023 Limnology and Oceanography 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Intake, Its Biotic Drivers, and Hydrophobic Organic Contaminant Levels in the Baltic Herring

Researchers investigated microplastic ingestion and hydrophobic organic contaminant levels in Baltic herring along the Swedish west coast, finding microplastics in 22.3% of fish with large geographic variability, though no significant correlation was found between microplastic burden and contaminant concentrations in muscle tissue.

2019 Frontiers in Environmental Science 23 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2020 Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering 296 citations
Article Tier 2

Lanternfish as bioindicator of microplastics in the deep sea: A spatiotemporal analysis using museum specimens

Researchers analyzed lanternfish specimens collected across space and time from the deep sea to assess their utility as bioindicators of microplastic pollution, examining spatiotemporal patterns in microplastic occurrence and abundance in these mesopelagic fish.

2025