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In new research, UK scientists found that toxic microplastics on the seafloor broke into pieces of less than five millimeters seated as sediment, according to 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 to studying the impact of harmful microplastic hot spots on the marine life system, as they settled in the thermohaline currents near the bed (bottom currents) that generated oxygen.
The study’s lead author, Ian A Kane, said in published research: “The effects of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems and the implications for human health are of increasing concern, as more than ten million tons of plastic they enter the global ocean every year. . “In addition, he wrote:” Converging surface currents in ocean turns are responsible for the global distribution of plastics on the ocean surface. Most of the 99% missing plastic ends up in the deep sea. However, accumulations on the sea surface they only represent approximately 1% of the estimated world budget for marine plastic ”.
Led by the University of Manchester, the analysis revealed that ocean pollution that humans estimate and are concerned about aggregations of debris that float in turns or are generally washed ashore with tides on shorelines. He mentioned that the whereabouts of the other 99% within the oceans are unknown, as they could be consumed by sea creatures at 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 essential to understand the threats to globally important seabed ecosystems.” In the seafloor samples they used for the research, all contained the microplastics as verified by light microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).
Furthermore, the research found that while ocean floor currents are efficient transporters of nutrients and oxygen, they also determine the location of critical biodiversity hotspots. Therefore, unfortunately, the same seafloor currents can also transport and place microplastics, according to research published in the scientific journal.
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