Highest ever level of microplastics found on the seafloor: Study

In new research, scientists from the UK found the toxic microplastics on the seafloor broken into pieces smaller than five millimetres settled as sediments, as per a study published in the scientific journal for The Advancement of Science. With up to 1.9 million pieces of plastic discovered, the findings are key for studying the impact of the harmful microplastic hotspots on the marine life system as they settled on near-bed thermohaline currents (bottom currents) that generated oxygen. 

The lead author of the study, Ian A Kane, said in the published research, “The effects of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems and implications for human health are of growing concern, as more than ten million tonnes of plastic enter the global ocean each year.” Further, he wrote, “Converging surface currents in oceanic gyres are responsible for the global distribution of plastics on the ocean surface. Most of the missing 99% of plastic ends up in the deep sea. However, sea surface accumulations only account for approximately 1% of the estimated global marine plastic budget.” 

Led by the University of Manchester, the analysis revealed that the ocean pollution humans calculate and are concerned about is the aggregations of debris that floats in gyres or is usually washed up on the surface with the tides on the shores. It mentioned that the whereabouts of the other 99% are unknown inside of the oceans as it might be consumed by the sea creatures across all trophic levels or transfers to harmful toxic substances.

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All samples contained microplastics

In the research, the scientists explained that “determining where microplastics accumulate and their availability for incorporation into the food chain is fundamental to understanding threats to globally important deep seafloor ecosystems.” In the seafloor samples they used for the research, all contained the microplastics as was verified with the optical microscopy and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. 

Further, the research found that while the ocean’s bottom currents are efficient conveyors of nutrients and oxygen, they also dictate the location of important biodiversity hotspots. Therefore, unfortunately, the same seafloor currents can also transport and emplace microplastics, according to the research published in the science journal.  

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