Microplastics in the marine environment: A review of their sources, distribution processes, uptake and exchange in ecosystems

Róisín Coyle; Gary Hardiman; Kieran O’ Driscoll

doi:10.1016/j.cscee.2020.100010

Microplastics in the marine environment: A review of their sources, distribution processes, uptake and exchange in ecosystems

Róisín Coyle, Gary Hardiman, Kieran O’ Driscoll^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

252 Citations (Scopus)

509 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

As the global production of plastics continues to accelerate, the ubiquitous presence of microplastics (μPs) has emerged as a significant marine problem. To comprehend fully the potential impacts and ecological harm caused by μPs it is vital that there is an understanding of their potential sources and sinks; the processes affecting their distribution; and their uptake and exchange in ecosystems. We carried out a comprehensive literature review to test the hypothesis that particle density is a key factor in describing the sinking behaviour and vertical distribution of μPs and to consider the uptake and trophic transfer of μPs. It was found that, whilst polymer density is a key factor in determining the vertical distribution of μPs in the water column, interactions with marine organisms better explain the occurrence of buoyant μPs at great depths. Furthermore, these interactions increase μP availability and uptake, leading to trophic transfer and bioaccumulation within the food chain.

Original language	English
Article number	100010
Journal	Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Volume	2
Early online date	23 May 2020
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscee.2020.100010
Publication status	Published - 01 Sept 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by the United Kingdom Natural Environment Research Council under the Queen’s University Belfast and University of Aberdeen Doctoral Research and Training Doctoral Training Partnership (QUADRAT DTP) NERC Reference: NE/S007377/1 .

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020

Keywords

Biofouling
Faecal pellets
Marine aggregate
Microplastics
Uptake

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Engineering (miscellaneous)
Environmental Engineering
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
General Chemical Engineering

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1016/j.cscee.2020.100010Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Microplastics in the marine environment: A review of their sources, distribution processes, uptake and exchange in ecosystems
Copyright 2020 the authors. This is an open access article published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits distribution and reproduction for non-commercial purposes, provided the author and source are cited.
Final published version, 1.11 MBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

Modelling the uptake and exchange of microplastics in marine ecosystems using a novel, integrated system of high-resolution numerical models
Coyle, R. S. (Author), McKinley, J. (Supervisor) & Hardiman, G. (Supervisor), Jul 2024
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Philosophy

252 Citations
1 Article
1 Comment/debate

Modelling microplastic transport in the marine environment: testing empirical models of particle terminal sinking velocity for irregularly shaped particles
Coyle, R., Service, M., Witte, U., Hardiman, G. & McKinley, J., 14 Apr 2023, In: ACS ES&T Water. 3, 4, p. 984–995 12 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access
File
6 Citations (Scopus)

80 Downloads (Pure)
Corrigendum to “Microplastics in the marine environment: A review of their sources, distribution processes, uptake and exchange in ecosystems” [Case Studies in Chem. and Environ. Eng. 2 (2020) 1–7]
Coyle, R., Hardiman, G. & O'Driscoll, K., May 2022, In: Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering. 5, 100146.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › peer-review

Cite this

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title = "Microplastics in the marine environment: A review of their sources, distribution processes, uptake and exchange in ecosystems",

abstract = "As the global production of plastics continues to accelerate, the ubiquitous presence of microplastics (μPs) has emerged as a significant marine problem. To comprehend fully the potential impacts and ecological harm caused by μPs it is vital that there is an understanding of their potential sources and sinks; the processes affecting their distribution; and their uptake and exchange in ecosystems. We carried out a comprehensive literature review to test the hypothesis that particle density is a key factor in describing the sinking behaviour and vertical distribution of μPs and to consider the uptake and trophic transfer of μPs. It was found that, whilst polymer density is a key factor in determining the vertical distribution of μPs in the water column, interactions with marine organisms better explain the occurrence of buoyant μPs at great depths. Furthermore, these interactions increase μP availability and uptake, leading to trophic transfer and bioaccumulation within the food chain.",

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N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the United Kingdom Natural Environment Research Council under the Queen’s University Belfast and University of Aberdeen Doctoral Research and Training Doctoral Training Partnership (QUADRAT DTP) NERC Reference: NE/S007377/1 . Publisher Copyright: © 2020

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AB - As the global production of plastics continues to accelerate, the ubiquitous presence of microplastics (μPs) has emerged as a significant marine problem. To comprehend fully the potential impacts and ecological harm caused by μPs it is vital that there is an understanding of their potential sources and sinks; the processes affecting their distribution; and their uptake and exchange in ecosystems. We carried out a comprehensive literature review to test the hypothesis that particle density is a key factor in describing the sinking behaviour and vertical distribution of μPs and to consider the uptake and trophic transfer of μPs. It was found that, whilst polymer density is a key factor in determining the vertical distribution of μPs in the water column, interactions with marine organisms better explain the occurrence of buoyant μPs at great depths. Furthermore, these interactions increase μP availability and uptake, leading to trophic transfer and bioaccumulation within the food chain.

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Microplastics in the marine environment: A review of their sources, distribution processes, uptake and exchange in ecosystems

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Student theses

Modelling the uptake and exchange of microplastics in marine ecosystems using a novel, integrated system of high-resolution numerical models

Research output

Modelling microplastic transport in the marine environment: testing empirical models of particle terminal sinking velocity for irregularly shaped particles

Corrigendum to “Microplastics in the marine environment: A review of their sources, distribution processes, uptake and exchange in ecosystems” [Case Studies in Chem. and Environ. Eng. 2 (2020) 1–7]

Cite this