Papers

61,006 results
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Article Tier 2

Open science resources from the Tara Pacific expedition across coral reef and surface ocean ecosystems

Researchers describe the open science data resources generated by the Tara Pacific expedition (2016-2018), which sampled coral reef ecosystems around 32 Pacific islands and 249 ocean surface locations, collecting nearly 58,000 samples for biogeochemical, molecular, and imaging analysis. The paper provides a comprehensive description of sampling methodology and explains how to access the diverse environmental and biological datasets released for open scientific use.

2022 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Biological oceanography, biogeochemical cycles, and pelagic ecosystem functioning of the east central South Pacific Gyre: focus on Easter Island and Salas y Gomez Island

This oceanographic review covers the biology and biogeochemistry of the South Pacific Subtropical Gyre, one of the most nutrient-poor ocean regions on Earth, which also accumulates floating plastic debris. The paper provides ecological baseline data for this remote but increasingly studied region.

2014 Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Expanding Tara Oceans Protocols for Underway, Ecosystemic Sampling of the Ocean-Atmosphere Interface During Tara Pacific Expedition (2016–2018)

This paper describes expanded sampling protocols used during the Tara Pacific expedition to collect comprehensive data on ocean surface plankton, atmospheric particles, and air-sea interactions. Such oceanographic expeditions have documented microplastic contamination across the Pacific, contributing to global pollution baseline data.

2019 Frontiers in Marine Science 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Kon-Tiki2 Expedition 2015-2016 Scientific Cruise Report

This expedition report describes the Kon-Tiki2 Expedition's scientific program, which included sampling for microplastic pollution in the Pacific Ocean using traditional balsa raft vessels. The expedition provided unique data on plastic distribution in the open Pacific and demonstrated that plastic pollution is detectable even in remote ocean areas.

2017 Duo Research Archive (University of Oslo)
Article Tier 2

Open science resources from the Tara Pacific expedition across coral reef and surface ocean ecosystems

Researchers from the Tara Pacific expedition collected nearly 58,000 samples from coral reefs and ocean surface waters across 32 Pacific islands between 2016 and 2018, creating a massive open-access dataset for studying ocean ecosystems. This publicly available resource allows scientists worldwide to investigate a wide range of questions about coral reef health, ocean biodiversity, and environmental change.

2023 Scientific Data 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in coral from three Mascarene Islands, Western Indian Ocean

Researchers compared microplastic concentrations, morphotypes, sizes, colors, and polymer compositions across six coral genera from three remote Mascarene Islands in the western Indian Ocean over a 1200 km transect. Microplastics were detected in all coral genera across all islands, with polymer types and concentrations reflecting both local and long-range ocean transport of plastic debris.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantitative imaging datasets of micro to mesoplankton communities and surface microplastic across the Pacific Ocean from the Tara Pacific Expedition

Researchers present quantitative plankton and microplastic imaging datasets collected during the Tara Pacific Expedition (2016-2018) across 357 open ocean and 228 island coastal stations, using customized pumping, High Speed Net, Manta net, and Bongo net sampling methods with FlowCam imaging to characterize communities from microplankton (>20 µm) to mesozooplankton.

2024
Article Tier 2

Distribution and biological implications of plastic pollution on the fringing reef of Mo’orea, French Polynesia

This study quantified both macro- and microplastic pollution on the coral reef of Mo'orea in French Polynesia, finding plastic at every sampled beach and in reef sediments. The research demonstrates that even remote Pacific island coral reefs receive significant plastic contamination from oceanic gyres and local sources.

2017 PeerJ 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic abundance in surface water samples during the cruise SO296-1 over the shelf of eastern Pacific

This dataset records microplastic concentrations collected from surface waters along the eastern Pacific shelf between the US and Chile during a research cruise. Providing baseline data from this under-sampled ocean region helps researchers understand how microplastics are distributed in the Pacific and supports modelling of their long-range transport.

2026 Publishing Network for Geoscientific and Environmental Data (PANGAEA) (Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research)
Article Tier 2

A screening-level human health risk assessment for microplastics and organic contaminants in near-shore marine environments in American Samoa

Researchers conducted a screening-level human health risk assessment for microplastics and associated organic contaminants in near-shore marine environments of American Samoa, evaluating exposure pathways relevant to Pacific Island communities with limited waste disposal options.

2022 Heliyon 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic pollution in Leeward, Moorea and Cook islands (South Pacific): A baseline study

Researchers conducted a baseline survey of beach macrolitter and microplastics in surface waters and sediments across six islands in French Polynesia and the Cook Islands, finding high macroplastic contamination on most beaches with densities of 18-58 items per 100 meters. Surface water microplastic concentrations were low (0-4668 particles per km), suggesting localized contamination linked to tourism and coastal activities rather than widespread oceanic inputs.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Unveiling Microplastic Abundance and Distribution in an Oceanic Island: Offshore Depository or Local Pollution Indicator

Microplastic abundance and distribution were documented across surface waters and sediments of an oceanic island, with findings indicating both local land-based pollution and ocean gyre-driven deposition of particles from distant sources.

2024 Sustainability 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Low incidence of microplastics in coral reefs of Kāneʻohe Bay, Hawaiʻi, USA

This study measured microplastic and other micro-debris concentrations in sediment, seawater, sea cucumbers, and coral from fringing and patch reefs in Kane'ohe Bay, Hawaii. Microplastic pollution was lower than in most tropical coral reefs studied to date, though detectable concentrations were found across all sampled matrices, suggesting partial protection from open-ocean inputs by the bay's geography.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 8 citations
Article Tier 2

First evaluation of neustonic microplastics in the Macaronesian region, NE Atlantic

Researchers conducted the first assessment of neustonic microplastics in the Macaronesian region of the northeast Atlantic, finding high variability in surface concentrations — ranging from 15,283 to over 1,000,000 items per km squared — and characterizing both microplastics and associated zooplankton communities.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in the surface waters of Vava'u, Tonga

Researchers found high concentrations of microplastics — over 329,000 pieces per square kilometer — in the surface waters of Tonga's Vava'u archipelago, with a significant proportion of particles smaller than 300 micrometers that would be missed by standard sampling nets.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic abundance, distribution and composition in the mid-west Pacific Ocean

Researchers surveyed microplastic abundance, distribution, and composition across the mid-west Pacific Ocean, an area with previously limited data, finding widespread contamination across sampled stations. The dominant particle types were fibers and fragments, with concentrations varying by location and depth.

2020 Environmental Pollution 250 citations
Article Tier 2

Broadening Participation through Research Experiences in Marine Science: An Early-Admit Immersive College Course Provides Experiential, Place-Based Scientific Training for Hawai‘i High School Students

This paper describes an immersive marine science research program for high school students from underrepresented groups in Hawaii. The program is focused on science education and STEM equity rather than microplastic contamination.

2022 Oceanography 4 citations
Article Tier 2

An integrated open-coastal biogeochemistry, ecosystem and biodiversity observatory of the eastern Mediterranean – the Cretan Sea component of the POSEIDON system

This paper describes an integrated biogeochemistry and biodiversity observing system for the eastern Mediterranean Cretan Sea, measuring physical, chemical, and biological processes across multiple time scales. Such long-term observatories provide the baseline data needed to track how emerging threats like microplastic pollution change marine ecosystems.

2018 Ocean science 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Observations in the Waters of Labuan Bajo-Gili Trawangan, Indonesia

Researchers collected surface water microplastic samples along the Nusa Tenggara route in Indonesia during a research expedition, finding microplastics near both populated areas and remote islands. The data show that microplastic pollution is widespread across Indonesian waters, including near the tourist destination of Labuan Bajo.

2021 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 9 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

Microplastic pollution in the intertidal and subtidal sediments of Vava'u, Tonga

Researchers documented microplastic contamination in intertidal and subtidal sediments of the Vava'u archipelago in Tonga, providing the first baseline data for the South Pacific island nation using a low-cost density-separation method adaptable for resource-limited settings.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Airborne and marine microplastics in the Southern Ocean environment

Researchers collected atmospheric deposition and seawater samples during a voyage from New Zealand to the Ross Sea, Antarctica, and detected microplastics throughout the Southern Ocean, contributing rare data from one of the world's most remote regions to understanding atmospheric and marine plastic transport.

2023
Article Tier 2

Microplastic abundance in the Eastern Tropical Pacific 2008-2018

Researchers re-analyzed archived zooplankton samples collected at four Eastern Tropical Pacific stations between 2008 and 2018 to quantify microplastic abundance, providing a decade-long temporal record of plastic contamination in this oceanic region.

2025 Publishing Network for Geoscientific and Environmental Data (PANGAEA) (Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research)
Article Tier 2

Distribution and biological implications of plastic pollution on the fringing reef of Mo’orea, French Polynesia

This study found plastic pollution at every sampled site on the fringing coral reef of Mo'orea in French Polynesia, with microplastics distributed throughout the reef and lagoon sediments. The research documents plastic contamination of a remote Pacific reef ecosystem and discusses possible effects on reef-building corals and associated species.

2017