The distribution of subsurface microplastics in the ocean

Abstract

Marine plastic pollution is a global issue, with microplastics (1 µm–5 mm) dominating the measured plastic count1,2. Although microplastics can be found throughout the oceanic water column3,4, most studies collect microplastics from surface waters (less than about 50-cm depth) using net tows5. Consequently, our understanding of the microplastics distribution across ocean depths is more limited. Here we synthesize depth-profile data from 1,885 stations collected between 2014 and 2024 to provide insights into the distribution and potential transport mechanisms of subsurface (below about 50-cm depth, which is not usually sampled by traditional practices3,6) microplastics throughout the oceanic water column. We find that the abundances of microplastics range from 10−4 to 104 particles per cubic metre. Microplastic size affects their distribution; the abundance of small microplastics (1 µm to 100 µm) decreases gradually with depth, indicating a more even distribution and longer lifespan in the water column compared with larger microplastics (100 µm to 5,000 µm) that tend to concentrate at the stratified layers. Mid-gyre accumulation zones extend into the subsurface ocean but are concentrated in the top 100 m and predominantly consist of larger microplastics. Our analysis suggests that microplastics constitute a measurable fraction of the total particulate organic carbon, increasing from 0.1% at 30 m to 5% at 2,000 m. Although our study establishes a global benchmark, our findings underscore that the lack of standardization creates substantial uncertainties, making it challenging to advance our comprehension of the distribution of microplastics and its impact on the oceanic environment. Global data collected between 2014 and 2024 provide insights into the distribution and potential transport mechanisms of subsurface microplastics throughout the oceanic water column.