Plastic air pollution spends a century on ocean floor, research finds

Plastic air pollution within the ocean might stay on the water’s floor for greater than a century, a brand new research has discovered.

Scientists from HR Wallingford, in Oxfordshire, and Queen Mary University created a mannequin to simulate the breakdown of plastic and the way lengthy it takes to finish up within the deep sea.

They discovered that present air pollution would nonetheless float on the floor for greater than 100 years, even when no extra floating plastic was dumped within the ocean.

Those behind the research mentioned the analysis provided “critical insights” into “the challenges of removing plastic from marine environments”.

Prof Andrew Manning, technical director at HR Wallingford, mentioned: “This study helps explain why so much of the plastic we expect to find at the ocean surface is missing.”

He defined that as giant plastics fragment over a long time, they “become small enough to attach” to marine snow – that are tiny natural particles that sink to the ocean flooring.

But, even after 100 years, he mentioned fragments might nonetheless be discovered at floor stage “floating and breaking down”.

The research discovered that the breakdown of plastic over the time was “the limiting factor” in eradicating it from the ocean floor.

It discovered that after a century, about 10% of the unique plastic might stay afloat, the place it releases dangerous microplastics into the water.

“To tackle the problem properly, we need long-term thinking that goes beyond just cleaning the surface,” Prof Manning mentioned.

The research is the third and ultimate certainly one of its variety by Queen Mary University of London and HR Wallingford exploring the journey of plastic within the ocean.