First evidence of plastic fallout from the North Pacific Garbage Patch.

ABSTRACT: The infamous garbage patches on the surface of subtropical oceanic gyres are proof that plastic is polluting the ocean on an unprecedented scale. The fate of floating plastic debris 'trapped' in these gyres, however, remains largely unknown. Here, we provide the first evidence for the vertical transfer of plastic debris from the North Pacific Garbage Patch (NPGP) into the underlying deep sea. The numerical and mass concentrations of plastic fragments (500 µm to 5 cm in size) suspended in the water column below the NPGP follow a power law decline with water depth, reaching values <0.001 pieces/m³ and <0.1 µg/m³ in the deep sea. The plastic particles in the NPGP water column are mostly in the size range of particles that are apparently missing from the ocean surface and

SUBMITTER: Egger M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7203237 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature