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Scientists at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) have produced a unique study providing new insights into the concentrations of microplastics in the open ocean from surface to sea bed.

Preliminary findings already show the presence of microplastics in the top thousand metres of the water column at the Porcupine Abyssal Plain sustained ocean observatory in the North Atlantic.

Professor Richard Lampitt and Dr Katsia Pabortsava, who lead microplastic research at NOC, said “There is considerable uncertainty about the concentration and characteristics of the many different types of microplastics and how these factors change over time and space.

“Our work in the vast open ocean spaces, hundreds of miles from land, is a crucial part of this assessment. The deep sea is considered one of the major sinks of microplastic debris and so we intend to focus part of our research in this area.”

Using sediment traps, NOC scientists will soon analyse samples from a depth of 3,000 metres.

The lead researchers added: “The deep sea also has a huge diversity of marine life, yet we do not know how much plastic is in this part of the ocean, or how it may enter food chains or affect marine life there.”

They will also analyse unique samples from sediment traps stationed in the central North and South Atlantic subtropical gyres, which are giant swirls in the ocean where microplastics tend to accumulate.

Microplastics research at NOC is currently conducted within the EU-funded Horizon 2020 AtlantOS programme, which provides the capabilities and facilities of the observing systems in the Atlantic Ocean.

Find out more here.