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High concentrations of plastic hidden beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean

Author

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  • Katsiaryna Pabortsava

    (National Oceanography Centre)

  • Richard S. Lampitt

    (National Oceanography Centre)

Abstract

Concern over plastic pollution of the marine environment is severe. The mass-imbalance between the plastic litter supplied to and observed in the ocean currently suggests a missing sink. However, here we show that the ocean interior conceals high loads of small-sized plastic debris which can balance and even exceed the estimated plastic inputs into the ocean since 1950. The combined mass of just the three most-littered plastics (polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene) of 32–651 µm size-class suspended in the top 200 m of the Atlantic Ocean is 11.6–21.1 Million Tonnes. Considering that plastics of other sizes and polymer types will be found in the deeper ocean and in the sediments, our results indicate that both inputs and stocks of ocean plastics are much higher than determined previously. It is thus critical to assess these terms across all size categories and polymer groups to determine the fate and danger of plastic contamination.

Suggested Citation

  • Katsiaryna Pabortsava & Richard S. Lampitt, 2020. "High concentrations of plastic hidden beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:11:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-020-17932-9
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17932-9
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    Cited by:

    1. Xiang-Fei Sun & Yanxu Zhang & Meng-Yi Xie & Lei Mai & Eddy Y. Zeng, 2024. "Calcite carbonate sinks low-density plastic debris in open oceans," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-14, December.
    2. Richard S. Lampitt & Stephen Fletcher & Matthew Cole & Alice Kloker & Stefan Krause & Fran O’Hara & Peter Ryde & Mahua Saha & Anastasia Voronkova & Adrian Whyle, 2023. "Stakeholder alliances are essential to reduce the scourge of plastic pollution," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-3, December.
    3. Kunihiro Aoki & Ryo Furue, 2021. "A model for the size distribution of marine microplastics: A statistical mechanics approach," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(11), pages 1-19, November.
    4. Beatrice Salieri & Natasha Stoudmann & Roland Hischier & Claudia Som & Bernd Nowack, 2021. "How Relevant Are Direct Emissions of Microplastics into Freshwater from an LCA Perspective?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-16, September.
    5. S. R. Kahane-Rapport & M. F. Czapanskiy & J. A. Fahlbusch & A. S. Friedlaender & J. Calambokidis & E. L. Hazen & J. A. Goldbogen & M. S. Savoca, 2022. "Field measurements reveal exposure risk to microplastic ingestion by filter-feeding megafauna," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.

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