Microplastic Pollution: Threats and Impacts on Global Marine Ecosystems

Ren-Shou Yu and Sher Singh ()
Additional contact information
Ren-Shou Yu: Department of Tourism Management, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China
Sher Singh: Department of Life Science, School of Life Science, College of Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 11677, Taiwan

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 17, 1-21

Abstract: This study investigates the scope of global marine microplastic pollution and its implications on marine ecosystems and human health. We first delve into how plastic enters the ocean, with an emphasis on the accumulation of plastic along coastlines, particularly the formation and impact of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP). Through a concentration map of marine microplastics across five continents, the global distribution of microplastic pollution is revealed. Furthermore, the effects of microplastics on marine wildlife are explored, as well as their potential entry into the human food chain, posing potential public health risks. The results of our research underscore the serious threats of microplastic pollution to global marine ecosystems and human health, emphasizing the need for more scientific research and policy measures to address this challenge.

Keywords: ecosystem impacts; Great Pacific Garbage Patch; marine microplastic pollution; plastic accumulation; wildlife impacts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/17/13252/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/17/13252/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:17:p:13252-:d:1232598

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().