‘A sink for microplastics’: 14 million tonnes on ocean floor

An estimated 14 million tonnes of harmful microplastics may be present in the bottom of the world’s deep oceans as a result of the pervasive use of plastic, according to a world-first study by an Australian science agency. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) analysed the deep ocean 380km (236 miles) from the coast of South Australia and found that the amount of very small plastic particles on the seafloor was more than double the amount of plastic pollution on the surface of the sea globally. “Our research found that the deep ocean is a sink for microplastics,” said Denise Hardesty, CSIRO’s principal research scientist and co-author of the study. Millions of tonnes of plastic enter the world’s oceans every year and despite efforts to reduce the use of plastics, the volume of plastics in the marine environment is expected to increase further. “Plastic pollution that ends up in the ocean deteriorates and breaks down, ending up as microplastics,” said Justine Barrett, the lead researcher in the study at CSIRO’s Oceans and Atmosphere division. style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">