Avalanches of Microplastics Carry Pollution into the Deep Sea

Avalanches of Microplastics Carry Pollution into the Deep Sea

Earth’s oceans are full of plastic. Though the state-sized garbage patches formed by ocean currents are the most visible, just an estimated 1% of ocean plastic lurks on the surface. The other 99% hides elsewhere in the ocean and may be found in the deep sea, mixed in with seafloor sediment. These particles are often in the form of microplastics: fragments of plastic goods degraded to less than 1 millimeter in length. Scientists know these deep-s…