What are marine microplastics?

A 2015 study estimated that roughly eight million tons of plastics enter the world’s oceans each year, yet only one percent is found floating at the surface in visible form. This suggests that the bulk of plastics in the ocean are likely microplastics suspended in the water or buried in sediments—yet scientists are only beginning to understand where they might be, not to mention their potential impacts on ocean life, ecosystems, and human health. So what are microplastics? Where are they? And what health risks do they pose? #earthday #oceanplastic

Learn more: https://www.whoi.edu/know-your-ocean/ocean-topics/ocean-human-lives/pollution/marine-microplastics/

Link to study: https://www.whoi.edu/know-your-ocean/ocean-topics/ocean-human-lives/pollution/marine-microplastics/

© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution