Plastic pollution in the South Pacific subtropical gyre

► Plastic marine pollution accumulates in the South Pacific subtropical gyre. ► Ocean current models can be used to find accumulation zones of plastic pollution. ► Sea state can affect the vertical distribution of microplastic particles. Plastic marine pollution in the open ocean of the southern hem...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 68; no. 1-2; pp. 71 - 76
Main Authors:	Eriksen, Marcus, Maximenko, Nikolai, Thiel, Martin, Cummins, Anna, Lattin, Gwen, Wilson, Stiv, Hafner, Jan, Zellers, Ann, Rifman, Samuel
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 15-03-2013 Elsevier
Subjects:	Abundance Animal and plant ecology Animal, plant and microbial ecology Applied ecology Biological and medical sciences Convergence Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution Environmental Monitoring Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology Garbage General aspects. Techniques Gyres Marine Marine and brackish environment Methods and techniques (sampling, tagging, trapping, modelling...) Microplastics municipal solid waste neuston Ocean modeling Oceans Pacific Ocean Plastic marine pollution plastics Plastics - analysis Pollution abatement sampling Sea water ecosystems Seawater - chemistry South Pacific gyre Southern Hemisphere Synecology Waste Products - analysis Waste Products - statistics & numerical data Water Movements Water Pollutants - analysis water pollution Water Pollution - statistics & numerical data wind South Pacific Pacific Ocean IS, South Pacific Plastic marine pollution Ocean modeling Microplastics South Pacific gyre Marine environment Subtropical gyre Water pollution Plastics Modeling
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Summary:	► Plastic marine pollution accumulates in the South Pacific subtropical gyre. ► Ocean current models can be used to find accumulation zones of plastic pollution. ► Sea state can affect the vertical distribution of microplastic particles. Plastic marine pollution in the open ocean of the southern hemisphere is largely undocumented. Here, we report the result of a (4489km) 2424 nautical mile transect through the South Pacific subtropical gyre, carried out in March–April 2011. Neuston samples were collected at 48 sites, averaging 50 nautical miles apart, using a manta trawl lined with a 333μm mesh. The transect bisected a predicted accumulation zone associated with the convergence of surface currents, driven by local winds. The results show an increase in surface abundance of plastic pollution as we neared the center and decrease as we moved away, verifying the presence of a garbage patch. The average abundance and mass was 26,898particles km−2 and 70.96gkm−2, respectively. 88.8% of the plastic pollution was found in the middle third of the samples with the highest value of 396,342particles km−2 occurring near the center of the predicted accumulation zone.
Bibliography:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.12.021 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0025-326X 1879-3363
DOI:	10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.12.021