Plastic pollution in the South Pacific subtropical gyre

Eriksen, Marcus; Maximenko, Nikolai; Thiel, Martín; Cummins, Anna; Lattin, Gwen; Wilson, Stiv; Hafner, Jan; Zellers, Ann; Rifman, Samuel

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.12.021

Cited by 486 publications

(178 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The high frequency of 63 µm microplastics in sediments is quite different to the size distribution observed from net trawls of the ocean surface. In net trawls, small microplastics (i.e., 100 to 63 µm) are not observed even though they are likely present on the surface Eriksen et al, 2013). This discrepancy in microplastic sizes may be largely due to the difference in sample analysis (e.g., visual versus microscope identification) as it would be unlikely or impossible to observe microplastics between 100 and 63 µm solely scanning with the naked eye.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastic Distribution at Different Sediment Depths in an Urban Estuary

et al. 2017

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As plastic production increases, so to do the threats from plastic pollution. Microplastics (defined as plastics <5 mm) are a subset of marine debris about which we know less than we do of larger debris items, though they are potentially ubiquitous in the marine environment. To quantify the distribution and change in microplastic densities through time, we sampled sediment cores from an estuary in Tasmania, Australia. We hypothesized that the type, distribution and abundance of microplastics observed would be associated with increasing plastic production, coastal population growth, and proximity to urban water outflows and local hydrodynamics. Sediments ranging from the year 1744 to 2004 were sub-sampled from each core. We observed microplastics in every sample, with greater plastic frequencies found in the upper (more recent) sediments. This time trend of microplastic accumulation matched that of global plastic production and coastal population growth. We observed that fibers were the most abundant type of microplastic in our samples. These fibers were present in sediments that settled prior to the presence of plastics in the environment. We propose a simple statistical model to estimate the level of contamination in our samples. We suggest that the current trend in the literature suggesting very high loads of fibers, particularly in remote locations such as the deep seafloor, may be largely due to contamination.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastic Distribution at Different Sediment Depths in an Urban Estuary

et al. 2017

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“…Together with the high media profile given the Pacific 'garbage patch' (Moore et al 2001) and similar litter aggregations in other mid-ocean gyres (e.g. Law et al 2010;Eriksen et al 2013a), the research by Thompson et al (2004) was largely responsible for the recent resurgence in interest in the marine litter problem (Fig. 1.2).…”

Section: Plastic Degradation and The Microplastic Boommentioning

confidence: 93%

A Brief History of Marine Litter Research

Ryan

2015

Marine Anthropogenic Litter

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This chapter traces the history of marine litter research from anecdotal reports of entanglement and plastic ingestion in the 1960s to the current focus on microplastics and their role in the transfer of persistent organic pollutants to marine food webs. The reports in Science of large numbers of plastic pellets in the North Atlantic in the early 1970s stimulated research interest in plastic litter at sea, with papers reporting plastics on the seafloor and impacting a variety of marine animals. The focus then shifted to high concentrations of plastic litter in the North Pacific, where novel studies reported the dynamics of stranded beach litter, the factors influencing plastic ingestion by seabirds, and trends in fur seal entanglement. By the early 1980s, growing concern about the potential impacts of marine litter resulted in a series of meetings on marine debris. The first two international conferences held in Honolulu by the US National Marine Fisheries Service played a key role in setting the research agenda for the next decade. By the end of the 1980s, most impacts of marine litter were reasonably well understood, and attention shifted to seeking effective solutions to tackle the marine litter problem. Research was largely restricted to monitoring trends in litter to assess the effectiveness of mitigation measures, until the last decade, when concern about microplastics coupled with the discovery of alarming densities of small plastic particles in the North Pacific 'garbage patch' (and other mid-ocean gyres) stimulated the current wave of research.

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“…Microplastics are found ubiquitously in benthic and pelagic environments in the oceans [11,12]. In oceans, the high abundance of microplastics observed in the large-scale subtropical convergence zones is attributed to the circulation of ocean currents [13][14][15]. Accumulation of microplastics in shoreline sediments has also been observed worldwide [16][17][18][19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Microplastic Pollution in Inland Waters Focusing on Asia

Zhang

Xiong

2017

The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry

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The presence of microplastics in marine environment is increasingly reported and has been recognized as an issue of emerging concern that might adversely affect wildlife and cause potential risk to the health of marine ecosystems. In addition, preliminary works demonstrated that microplastics are ubiquitously present in many inland waters with concentrations comparable or higher than those observed in marine environments. Asia is the most populous continent in the world, and most Asian countries are under rapid development while facing serious environmental problems. In this chapter, we review the available literature reporting on the occurrence of microplastics in inland waters in Asia. Limited works have provided basic information on the occurrence, distribution, and properties of microplastics in lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries in Asia. Comparison with data from other regions worldwide suggests that microplastic pollution in inland waters in Asia can be more serious. These preliminary results call for more research efforts to better characterize the sources, fate, effects, and risks of microplastics in inland waters. Extensive and in-depth studies are urgently needed to bridge the knowledge gaps to enable a more comprehensive risk assessment of microplastics in inland waters and to support the development of policy addressing this issue.

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Plastic pollution in the South Pacific subtropical gyre

Cited by 486 publications

References 36 publications

Microplastic Distribution at Different Sediment Depths in an Urban Estuary

Microplastic Distribution at Different Sediment Depths in an Urban Estuary

A Brief History of Marine Litter Research

Microplastic Pollution in Inland Waters Focusing on Asia

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