Ocean pollution: microplastics also in plankton feces

    The plankton feces are full of plastic. If the pollution threat seemed great up to now, now it is even more so. Plastic has also reached the world of the infinitely small according to new research, which shows oceans are facing a new serious threat

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    Le disastrous of plankton are full of plastic. If the pollution threat so far seemed great, now it is even more so. There plastic it has also reached the world of the infinitely small according to new research, which shows that the oceans are facing a new serious threat.

    - harmful effects of plastic-related pollution in the oceans they are not new but there is a new risk around the corner, which has only recently emerged. The plankton, at the base of the marine animal food chain, is contributing to theirs in spite of himself disappearance.

    We are therefore concerned not only with what we see but above all that we can't see. The new study led by scientists from Exeter University and published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology discovered microscopic little balls of plastic inside the plankton's feces. These tiny creatures ingest the microplastics, ejecting them at a later time.

    Due to their weight, the feces sink very slowly and end up being ingested by other fish as well, causing many problems for the entire ecosystem.

    The researchers found that the small sea creatures known by the name of zooplankton ingest microplastics, ie plastic debris smaller than one mm. This material is then released in the stool.

    Ocean pollution: microplastics also in plankton feces

    In a healthy marine environment, the latter promote the transport of carbon and nutrients into deeper waters, providing food for other animals. This is not the case in our seas as plankton eats microplastics.

    “The magnitude of the change observed here is worrying. We believe the impact of plastic contamination in the ocean deserves a more detailed investigation and the team now hopes to carry out the work in a natural environment " he said the project manager Matthew Cole.



    A large number of marine organisms, including fish, turtles, seabirds, invertebrates, and zooplankton, ingest the plastic debris. According to previous research, there are billions of fragments floating in the sea. Suffice it to say that microplastics have been found in the intestinal tract of a quarter of the fish and a third of the seafood sold in American and Indonesian markets.


    Continuing at this rate, really in 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in our seas.


    Francesca Mancuso

    Gallery

    READ also:

    POLLUTION OCEANS: IN 2050 THERE WILL BE MORE PLASTIC THAN FISH

    PLASTIC: A BOY'S IDEA FOR CLEANING THE OCEANS IS REALITY. IN JAPAN SINCE 2016

    PLASTIC KILLER: OCEAN WASTE KILLS MORE THAN 90% OF SEA BIRDS (VIDEO)

    MICROPLASTIC OCEANS: THERE IS MUCH MORE THAN THOUGH WE HAVE BELIEVED UNTIL NOW

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