Biogeosciences Discussions This discussion paper is/has been under review for the journal Biogeosciences (BG). Please refer to the corresponding final paper in BG if available. Abstract Given the complexity of quantitative collection, knowledge of the distribution of mi-croplastic pollution in many regions of the world ocean is patchy, both spatially and temporally, especially for the subsurfac...

One of the most ubiquitous and long-lasting recent changes to the surface of our planet is the accumulation and fragmentation of plastics. Within just a few decades since mass production of plastic products commenced in the 1950s, plastic debris has accumulated in terrestrial environments, in the open ocean, on shorelines of even the most remote islands and in the deep sea. Annual clean-up oper...

Plastic is a broad name given to the different types of organic polymers having high molecular weight and is commonly derived from different petrochemicals. Plastics are generally not biodegradable or few are degradable but in a very slow rate. Day by day, the global demand of these polymers is sharply increasing; however, considering their abundance and potentiality in causing different enviro...

Plastics represent the vast majority of human-made debris present in the oceans. However, their characteristics, accumulation zones, and transport pathways remain poorly assessed. We characterised and estimated the concentration of marine plastics in waters around Australia using surface net tows, and inferred their potential pathways using particle-tracking models and real drifter trajectories...

Article contributed by Ramani Narayan University Distinguished Professor Michigan State University Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science Chairman of ASTM Committee D20.96 on Environmentally Degradable Plastics & Biobased Products Chairman of ISO/TC 61(Plastics) SC1 (Terminology) and US expert to TC 61/SC5/WG22 on biodegradable plastics Biodegradation takes place when microorgan...