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Study Reveals the Extent to Which Nanoplastic Pollutes the North Atlantic

NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN, JUL 9 – European researchers found nanoplastics at all depths with 27 million tonnes in the North Atlantic's top 10 meters, matching earlier estimates for all ocean plastics by mass.

  • Researchers led by chemist Duaan Materi published a 2025 Nature study measuring extensive nanoplastic pollution across the North Atlantic Ocean.
  • In 2020, researchers collected water samples from 12 locations across the Atlantic Ocean at different depths using the Dutch research vessel Pelagia to measure concentrations of plastic particles.
  • They detected nanoplastic particles at all depths analyzed, especially concentrated in the subtropical gyre, with no polyethylene or polypropylene nanoparticles found despite surface microplastic presence.
  • Materi estimated about 27 million tonnes of nanoplastic in the top 10 meters of the North Atlantic, noting these particles are so abundant they cannot be ecologically ignored and probably form the largest plastic mass fraction.
  • The findings indicate that nanoplastics may severely threaten marine ecosystems due to their small size, which allows them to penetrate organismal defenses and build up within marine species, highlighting the need for expanded research and targeted prevention strategies.
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Lean Left

So far, the amount of plastic particles under a micrometer in the sea has been controversial. Now it is clear that there is at least as much of the remaining plastic waste together

·Vienna, Austria
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Lean Right

These are plastic particles less than 1 micrometer in size. So small that they are invisible under many microscopes.

·Netherlands
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An extrapolation of 27 million tons of nanoplastics in the North Atlantic alone. Researchers warn of threats to the environment and health.

·Munich, Germany
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Phys.org broke the news in United Kingdom on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.
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