U. Manchester Study - 1.9 Million Pieces Of Microplastic Per Square Meter On Sea Floor Near Italy
The contamination was found in sediments pulled from the bottom of the Mediterranean, near Italy. The analysis, led by the University of Manchester, found up to 1.9 million plastic pieces per square metre.
These items likely included fibres from clothing and other synthetic textiles, and tiny fragments from larger objects that had broken down over time.
The researchers' investigations lead them to believe that microplastics (smaller than 1mm) are being concentrated in specific locations on the ocean floor by powerful bottom currents. "These currents build what are called drift deposits; think of underwater sand dunes," explained Dr Ian Kane, who fronted the international team.
"They can be tens of kilometres long and hundreds of metres high. They are among the largest sediment accumulations on Earth. They're made predominantly of very fine silt, so it's intuitive to expect microplastics will be found within them," he told BBC News.
EDIT
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52489126
