Slow biological microplastics removal under ocean pollution phase-out trajectories
Zhenna Azimrayat Andrews,
Karin Kvale,
Claire Hunt
Abstract:Microplastics are ubiquitous in marine environments and can be incorporated into biological aggregates including marine snows and faecal pellets. These aggregates are suspected to be a major removal mechanism for microplastics from the surface ocean, transporting them to deeper levels and the seafloor as they sink and remineralise. However, simple budget calculations, observations, and model parameter testing suggest that aggregation might also lead to retention of microplastics in the upper ocean, sustaining … Show more
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