Marine snow as vectors for microplastic transport: Multiple aggregation cycles account for the settling of buoyant microplastics to deep-sea sediments

IF 3.8 1区 地球科学 Q1 LIMNOLOGY
Nan Wu, Stuart W. D. Grieve, Andrew J. Manning, Kate L. Spencer
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Abstract

Many studies have reported the paradoxical observation of high concentrations of low-density microplastics (plastic particles < 5 mm) in deep-sea sediments despite their buoyancy. The incorporation of buoyant microplastics into marine snow has been observed to enhance microplastic settling. Previous studies on the vertical movement of buoyant microplastics have been unable to theoretically account for these ocean observations and no study has comprehensively elucidated microplastic transport pathways in the ocean from the surface to seafloor. Here, we establish a one-dimensional theoretical model, that embraces key elements of the flocculation process, to explain how marine snow acts as a vector to transport buoyant microplastics to deep water and the ocean bottom. Microplastics reach the ocean floor through multiple cycles of aggregation, settling, and disaggregation between marine snow and microplastics. Each settling cycle results in a net settling of 200–400 m. We demonstrate that microplastics with different sizes show distinct vertical settling behaviors and only microplastics less than 100 μm in diameter can reach the ocean bottom. This theoretical model refines our ability to predict and understand the global and long-term fate, transport, and inventory of microplastics in the ocean interior, the influence of microplastics on the biological carbon pump and the efficacy of plastic management policies.

Abstract Image

海洋雪作为微塑料运输的载体:多重聚集循环解释了浮力微塑料向深海沉积物的沉降
许多研究报告了高浓度低密度微塑料(塑料颗粒)的矛盾观察结果;5毫米)的深海沉积物,尽管它们具有浮力。在海洋雪中加入浮力微塑料已被观察到增强微塑料沉降。以前关于浮力微塑料垂直运动的研究无法从理论上解释这些海洋观测结果,也没有研究全面阐明海洋中微塑料从表面到海底的运输途径。在这里,我们建立了一个一维理论模型,其中包含絮凝过程的关键要素,以解释海洋雪如何作为载体将浮力微塑料运输到深水和海底。微塑料通过海洋雪和微塑料之间的聚集、沉淀和分解的多个循环到达海底。每个沉降循环的净沉降量为200-400米。研究表明,不同尺寸的微塑料具有不同的垂直沉降行为,只有直径小于100 μm的微塑料才能到达海底。该理论模型改进了我们预测和理解海洋内部微塑料的全球和长期命运、运输和库存、微塑料对生物碳泵的影响以及塑料管理政策的有效性的能力。
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来源期刊
Limnology and Oceanography
Limnology and Oceanography 地学-海洋学
CiteScore
8.80
自引率
6.70%
发文量
254
审稿时长
3 months
期刊介绍: Limnology and Oceanography (L&O; print ISSN 0024-3590, online ISSN 1939-5590) publishes original articles, including scholarly reviews, about all aspects of limnology and oceanography. The journal''s unifying theme is the understanding of aquatic systems. Submissions are judged on the originality of their data, interpretations, and ideas, and on the degree to which they can be generalized beyond the particular aquatic system examined. Laboratory and modeling studies must demonstrate relevance to field environments; typically this means that they are bolstered by substantial "real-world" data. Few purely theoretical or purely empirical papers are accepted for review.
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