Abstract
AbstractPlastic is entering the world's oceans at an unprecedented rate impacting the functioning of the natural marine environment. Yet little consideration has been given to the potential of carbon (C) in the form of plastic (Cplas) to augment the marine carbon system. Here it is shown that Cplas is an integral part of the anthropogenic marine C cycle. Annually, 7.8 ± 1.73 Mt of Cplas is deposited at the seabed with a further 17.2–57.1 Mt Cplas already present on the seafloor. The quantity of Cplas currently being deposited on the seabed annually exceeds the rate at which organic carbon (OC) is buried in some marine sediments and by 2050 it is possible that the rate at which Cplas is buried will match fjord sediments which are global hotspots for OC burial. Though unwanted this new anthropogenic pathway for C to reach the marine environment cannot be ignored.
Highlights
Plastic is entering the world’s oceans at an unprecedented rate impacting the functioning of the natural marine environment
There are multiple environmental implications for marine habitats due to the introduction of plastic (e.g., Gregory 2009), but the increased quantity of C entering the world’s oceans in the form of plastic (Cplas) and the impact it may have on the wider benthic C cycle has not yet been considered or quantified
The plastic samples were reduced in size (< 2 mm) and placed in ultra-pure Milli-Q water and sonicated for 10 min, drained, and the process repeated five times to reduce the chance of contamination
Summary
Plastic is entering the world’s oceans at an unprecedented rate impacting the functioning of the natural marine environment. The large-scale introduction of plastic to the marine environment potentially introduces a new yet unquantified pathway for large quantities of C to enter the world’s oceans.
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