The distribution of subsurface microplastics in the ocean

Shiye Zhao (), Karin F. Kvale, Lixin Zhu, Erik R. Zettler, Matthias Egger, Tracy J. Mincer, Linda A. Amaral-Zettler, Laurent Lebreton, Helge Niemann, Ryota Nakajima, Martin Thiel, Ryan P. Bos, Luisa Galgani and Aron Stubbins
Additional contact information
Shiye Zhao: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
Karin F. Kvale: Aotearoa Blue Ocean Research
Lixin Zhu: East China Normal University
Erik R. Zettler: NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
Matthias Egger: The Ocean Cleanup
Tracy J. Mincer: Florida Atlantic University
Linda A. Amaral-Zettler: NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
Laurent Lebreton: The Ocean Cleanup
Helge Niemann: NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
Ryota Nakajima: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
Martin Thiel: Universidad Catolica del Norte
Ryan P. Bos: Harvard University
Luisa Galgani: University of Siena
Aron Stubbins: Northeastern University

Nature, 2025, vol. 641, issue 8061, 51-61

Abstract: Abstract Marine plastic pollution is a global issue, with microplastics (1 µm–5 mm) dominating the measured plastic count1,2. Although microplastics can be found throughout the oceanic water column3,4, most studies collect microplastics from surface waters (less than about 50-cm depth) using net tows5. Consequently, our understanding of the microplastics distribution across ocean depths is more limited. Here we synthesize depth-profile data from 1,885 stations collected between 2014 and 2024 to provide insights into the distribution and potential transport mechanisms of subsurface (below about 50-cm depth, which is not usually sampled by traditional practices3,6) microplastics throughout the oceanic water column. We find that the abundances of microplastics range from 10−4 to 104 particles per cubic metre. Microplastic size affects their distribution; the abundance of small microplastics (1 µm to 100 µm) decreases gradually with depth, indicating a more even distribution and longer lifespan in the water column compared with larger microplastics (100 µm to 5,000 µm) that tend to concentrate at the stratified layers. Mid-gyre accumulation zones extend into the subsurface ocean but are concentrated in the top 100 m and predominantly consist of larger microplastics. Our analysis suggests that microplastics constitute a measurable fraction of the total particulate organic carbon, increasing from 0.1% at 30 m to 5% at 2,000 m. Although our study establishes a global benchmark, our findings underscore that the lack of standardization creates substantial uncertainties, making it challenging to advance our comprehension of the distribution of microplastics and its impact on the oceanic environment.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-08818-1

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