Particles 90%) and the abundance of polymeric products therein. Microplastic abundance increases as fragment size decreases, as does the proportion of organisms capable of ingesting them. Plastics release additives, concentrate environmental contaminants, and serve as substrates for biofilms, including exotic and pathogenic species. Ocean sediments are likely the ultimate destination. In surface waters plastics/microplastics weather, biofoul, aggregate, and sink, are ingested by organisms and redistributed by currents. Riverine and atmospheric transport, storm water, and disasters facilitate releases. Plastic debris/microplastics arise from land disposal, wastewater treatment, tire wear, paint failure, textile washing, and at-sea losses. To solve this global problem, we must understand plastic composition, physical forms, uses, transport, and fragmentation into microplastics (and nanoplastics).
Nonetheless, the amount of microplastics in some oceanic compartments is predicted to double by 2030.
Most plastics are initially used and discarded on land. Their versatility, stability, light weight, and low production costs have fueled global demand. Society has become increasingly reliant on plastics since commercial production began in about 1950.
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