A new study suggests that plastic pollution is removed from the ocean's surface in the same process that moves carbon and nutrients to the deep sea.

What's happening?

ScienceAlert reported on a new study from the Royal Society Publishing, which set out to explore a discrepancy between the amount of plastic entering the ocean and what is found floating at the surface. 

The researchers developed a computer model to simulate how plastic pollution degrades, breaks apart, and then interacts with other sinking particles known as "marine snow," or tiny, sticky organic particles that clump together and sink into the deep sea. 

Previous studies suggest that plastics would only interact with fine organic particles once they'd broken down to a certain size, but this failed to explain the "missing plastic" on the ocean's surface. By considering other processes, such as marine snow settling and ocean currents, researchers found that the missing plastic is likely moved by the same natural biological pump — or "natural conveyor belt" — that moves carbon and nutrients from the surface to the deep sea. 

Why is the movement of plastic pollution important?

Plastic pollution in the ocean has been a growing problem for many years, and more recently, concern has grown about the microplastics created from the degradation of larger plastic pieces. These plastics can be found in soil, the food chain, drinking water, and even our bodies. 

The impacts of microplastics on human health and crop yields could have major consequences for human life and society, but the negative effects do not end there.

This new research suggests that plastic pollution could overload the natural process that stores carbon in the deep sea, which is critical to limiting carbon in our atmosphere and regulating marine ecosystems. 

What's being done about plastic pollution in the ocean?

These researchers highlight that our plastic problem needs long-term thinking, addressing plastics at every stage — production, use, and disposal. This means creatively replacing single-use plastics wherever we can, and disposing of them properly when they're necessary.

Everything is connected in our oceans; what is floating out to sea today will eventually degrade, move, and reappear in new, often harmful, ways. Removing plastic from beaches and oceans is critical, but even more so is stopping plastic pollution from ever landing in our marine systems.

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