PLASTICS ON THE SEAFLOOR

It is no secret that plastic trash is in our oceans, with efforts underway to recover what is floating on the surface. What is less known is that plastic debris--of all sizes--is being carried inside sediment density currents to the deep seafloor, where it accumulates in erosional potholes and within layers of sand and mud. This Research Focus article introduces recent discoveries of plastic on the ocean bottom, and the role of geosciences in future plastics monitoring.   

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