The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has produced the world’s first global estimate of micro-plastics on the seafloor.
CSIRO’s findings suggest there are more than 14 million tonnes of the pollutant in the deep ocean —more than double the amount of plastic pollution estimated to be on the ocean’s surface.
A member of CSIRO’s Oceans and Atmosphere team who led the study, Justine Barrett said the research extended the understanding of the amount of plastic pollution in the oceans and the impact of plastic items, both large and small.
“Plastic pollution that ends up in the ocean deteriorates and breaks down, ending up as micro-plastics,” Ms Barrett said.
“Our research provides the first global estimate of how much micro-plastic there is on the seafloor.”
She said the results clearly showed that micro-plastics were sinking to the bottom of the oceans.
“Millions of tonnes of plastic enter the marine environment annually, and quantities are expected to increase in coming years, despite increased attention on the detrimental impacts of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems, wildlife and human health,” Ms Barrett said.
“The samples used in this study were collected using a robotic submarine in depths to 3,000 metres at sites up to 380 kilometres offshore from South Australia.”
She said the amount of micro-plastics recorded was 25 times higher than previous deep-sea studies.
Principal Research Scientist and co-author of the report, Denise Hardesty said the plastic pollution of the world’s oceans was an internationally-recognised environmental issue, with the results indicating the urgent need to generate effective plastic pollution solutions.
“Our research found that the deep ocean is a sink for micro-plastics,” Dr Hardesty said.
“We were surprised to observe high micro-plastic loads in such a remote location. By identifying where and how much micro-plastic there is, we get a better picture of the extent of the problem.”
She said the report would help to inform waste management strategies and create behavioural change and opportunities to stop plastic and other rubbish entering the environment.
The CSIRO research article can be accessed at this PS News link.
