A research team from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Utrecht University and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) has investigated the proportion of nanoplastics present in the North Atlantic.

Initial analysis of systematic samples in the North Atlantic indicates that plastic particles measuring less than one micrometre in diameter may account for the largest proportion of marine plastic pollution. Samples were collected from twelve locations at various depths, ranging from the European continental shelf to the open Atlantic and the subtropical North Atlantic Gyre.

The results show that tiny plastic particles can be found at all depths between the temperate and subtropical zones of the ocean. In terms of mass, the quantity of nanoplastics is similar to that of microplastics found to date. Therefore, nanoplastics play a much more significant role in marine plastic pollution than was previously assumed.

The study was published in the journal Nature.