Work

Vertical Flux of Microplastics in the Deep Subtropical Pacific Ocean: Moored Sediment-Trap Observations within the Kuroshio Extension Recirculation Gyre

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: The Kuroshio Extension recirculation gyre in the western North Pacific is an accumulation site of plastic litter transported by the Kuroshio Current. A sediment trap was moored at a depth of 4900 m at Station KEO within the Kuroshio Extension recirculation gyre, and the vertical flux of microplastics in sinking particles of size <1 mm was observed. Forty-one sediment-trap samples collected from July 1, 2014, to October 2, 2016, were analyzed with a micro-Fourier transform infrared spectrometer and microplastics were detected in all samples. Seventeen polymer types were identified, and 90% of the microplastics were less than 100 μm in size. Microplastic sinking was driven by the action of the biological pump, which was in turn driven by seasonal variations in solar radiation and increased surface primary production typical of the spring season. Microplastic mass flux varied from 4.5 × 10–3 to 0.38 mg m–2 day–1 during the sampling period, with a mean and standard deviation of 0.054 ± 0.075 mg m–2 day–1. Extrapolating the annual microplastic mass flux at Station KEO to the entire Kuroshio Extension recirculation gyre, it is estimated that 0.028 million metric tons of microplastics are transported annually to 4900 m depth in this area.

Source: Environmental Science & Technology

DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c02212

Authors: Takahito Ikenoue, Ryota Nakajima, Satoshi Osafune, Eko Siswanto, Makio C. Honda

Institution: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology

Language: English

Topic: Microplastics and Plastic Pollution

Subfield: Pollution

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Life below water, Climate action

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,500