Plastic in the Ocean

An estimated 268,940 tons of plastic are circulating in the ocean. Microplastics (5 mm – 25 μm) are a proposed vector for the long range transportation of Persistent Organic Pollutants and heavy metals. Ingestion by biota introduces microplastic and the associated pollutants to the marine food web, where it is susceptible to bioaccumulation. I aim to investigate this concentration and stratification of microplastic particles in the upper 100 m of the Southern Atlantic Ocean (SAO).

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