![]() ![]() However, few studies relate microplastic accumulation to sediment transport and deposition. Compilation of published data shows that microplastics pervade the global seafloor, from abyssal plains to submarine canyons and deep-sea trenches (where they are most concentrated). We synthesize existing knowledge of seafloor microplastic distribution, and integrate this with process-based sedimentological models of particle transport, to provide new insights, and critically, to identify future research challenges. Much of this is not recycled and is disposed into the natural environment, has a long environmental residence time and accumulates in sedimentary systems worldwide, posing a threat to important ecosystems and potentially human health. 2National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, United KingdomĪn estimated 8.3 billion tons of non-biodegradable plastic has been produced over the last 65 years. ![]() ![]() 1School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom. ![]()
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