Seafloor microplastic hotspots controlled by deep-sea circulation
Seafloor microplastic hotspots controlled by deep-sea circulation
Although microplastics are known to pervade the global seafloor, the processes that control their dispersal and concentration in the deep sea remain largely unknown. Here, we show that thermohaline-driven currents, which build extensive seafloor sediment accumulations, can control the distribution of microplastics and create hotspots with the highest concentrations reported for any seafloor setting (190 pieces per 50 grams). Previous studies propose that microplastics are transported to the seafloor by vertical settling from surface accumulations; here, we demonstrate that the spatial distribution and ultimate fate of microplastics are strongly controlled by near-bed thermohaline currents (bottom currents). These currents are known to supply oxygen and nutrients to deep-sea benthos, suggesting that deep-sea biodiversity hotspots are also likely to be microplastic hotspots.
1140-1145
Kane, Ian A.
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Clare, Michael A.
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Miramontes, Elda
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Wogelius, Roy
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Rothwell, James J.
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Garreau, Pierre
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Pohl, Florian
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5 June 2020
Kane, Ian A.
dfdc39db-59b8-4b08-85e4-9d6d3a9cd41e
Clare, Michael A.
b26da858-9c08-4784-aaa9-7092efcd94bd
Miramontes, Elda
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Wogelius, Roy
1996a44f-6aa1-4bd0-9ecb-5a80d3c6e90e
Rothwell, James J.
63a7bc9c-74dd-4d3a-b80d-d8a8e19a20a8
Garreau, Pierre
544e5a5a-d2e5-4f94-a0b5-947cd35ce3f1
Pohl, Florian
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Kane, Ian A., Clare, Michael A., Miramontes, Elda, Wogelius, Roy, Rothwell, James J., Garreau, Pierre and Pohl, Florian
(2020)
Seafloor microplastic hotspots controlled by deep-sea circulation.
Science, 368 (6495), , [eaba5899].
(doi:10.1126/science.aba5899).
Abstract
Although microplastics are known to pervade the global seafloor, the processes that control their dispersal and concentration in the deep sea remain largely unknown. Here, we show that thermohaline-driven currents, which build extensive seafloor sediment accumulations, can control the distribution of microplastics and create hotspots with the highest concentrations reported for any seafloor setting (190 pieces per 50 grams). Previous studies propose that microplastics are transported to the seafloor by vertical settling from surface accumulations; here, we demonstrate that the spatial distribution and ultimate fate of microplastics are strongly controlled by near-bed thermohaline currents (bottom currents). These currents are known to supply oxygen and nutrients to deep-sea benthos, suggesting that deep-sea biodiversity hotspots are also likely to be microplastic hotspots.
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More information
Accepted/In Press date: 9 April 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 30 April 2020
Published date: 5 June 2020
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
We thank T. Bishop and J. Moore in the Department of Geography at the University of Manchester for help with a range of analyses. We thank the staff at the British Ocean Sediment Core Research Facility (BOSCORF) for access to sediment cores. We thank the GALSI PROJECT for access to survey data. The constructive comments of D. Piper and two anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged. Funding: M.A.C. was supported by the CLASS program (NERC grant NE/R015953/1). Author contributions: I.A.K. and M.A.C. conceived of and designed the study and subsampled the core samples. I.A.K. carried out the microplastic extraction and analysis. M.A.C. and I.A.K. analyzed seafloor and subsurface data and integrated microplastics concentrations with modeling outputs. E.M. and P.G. modeled the seafloor circulation patterns. F.P. integrated microplastic and sediment transport modeling work. R.W. analyzed FTIR spectra. All authors contributed to writing the manuscript. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Data and materials availability: The data that support the findings of this study are available from Dryad (54).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved.
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 441788
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/441788
ISSN: 0036-8075
PURE UUID: ccb105a1-ba39-41d0-b83e-9d1ae257686a
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Date deposited: 26 Jun 2020 16:45
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 07:53
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Contributors
Author:
Ian A. Kane
Author:
Michael A. Clare
Author:
Elda Miramontes
Author:
Roy Wogelius
Author:
James J. Rothwell
Author:
Pierre Garreau
Author:
Florian Pohl
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