Published January 24, 2024 | Version v1
Project deliverable Open

Policy brief - Plastic pollution and the plastisphere: findings and recommendations

  • 1. Atlantic Technological University - Galway City
  • 2. ROR icon Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research
  • 3. German Marine Research Alliance (DAM)
  • 4. ROR icon Laboratoire d'Études en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales
  • 5. ROR icon Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
  • 1. Sorbonne University
  • 2. ROR icon Sorbonne Université
  • 3. Universidade da Coruña
  • 4. ROR icon Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research
  • 5. ROR icon Chalmers University of Technology
  • 6. ROR icon Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
  • 7. ROR icon Université de Toulon
  • 8. ROR icon Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco
  • 9. ROR icon Atlantic Technological University
  • 10. ROR icon Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
  • 11. ROR icon Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

Description

This policy brief aims to share the main findings of the JPI Oceans funded 'MicroplastiX' project, which focused on the relationship between microplastics and the plastisphere. The plastisphere is a biofilm layer growing in the surface of plastics and microplastics, and it has consequences on (1) the adsorption of organic and inorganic pollutants, (2) plastic density (important for modelling), (3) the genetic diversity of species attached to and growing in the surface of the plastics. The project also explored how the plastisphere causes spectral changes that hinder plastic identification. 

The policy brief was written and peer-reviewed within the team, being written in a way where complex scientific results were translated into acessible language. 

Abstract (English)

Plastic pollution is an environmental concern due to the magnitude of mismanaged plastics reaching the environment and affecting it in different ways. Their physicochemical properties, including their light weight, resistance to corrosion and low degradation rates, allow plastics to travel great distances in the environment. Plastics undergo weathering, degradation, and fragmentation processes through exposure to ultraviolet radiation, abrasion, and interactions with biota. The JPI Oceans funded ‘MicroplastiX’ project explored the interaction between plastics, microorganisms, and the biofilm layer at the surface, which is a less studied scientific area. Moreover, the project also focussed on the organic and inorganic pollutants in this surface biofilm layer, commonly known as ‘plastisphere’.


This brief highlights the main project findings resulting from case-studies carried out in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. These aimed to assess the (1) environmental microplastic (MP) concentrations, (2) genetic diversity and accumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and trace metals in the plastisphere and the (3) polymer type spectral changes from in situ experiments. The aim of this international collaborative and interdisciplinary project was to improve the understanding of how degradation mechanisms affect plastics in natural environments. The team included a network of scientists from diverse research fields (chemistry, biology, microbiology, physics and mathematical modelling), and countries (Sweden, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, and Brazil), working in synergy to address gaps on the pathways and fate of plastics in coastal and open ocean waters.

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MicroplastiX Policy Brief.pdf

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