List of microplastic and marine litter samples collected from the sediment and water and deposited at CURE

This dataset presents the inventory of sediment and water samples collected for the analysis of marine litter and microplastics during the Falkor (too) research cruise (FKT250812). The dataset tracks samples across 22 different dive operations (Dives 827 to 854), utilizing two primary deployment strategies. Samples were acquired using the ROV SuBastian (benthic/sediment) and CTD Rosette bottles (pelagic/water column) between August 23 and September 17, 2025, covering a wide bathymetric range from shallow waters (5 m) to abyssal depths (4,277 m). Pelagic Sampling (Carousel/CTD) add to 11 water collection events using Niskin bottles, yielding a total of 139 water samples primarily for water column analysis. Benthic/Deep-Sea Sampling (ROV SuBastian) comprises 120 targeted collection events utilizing multiple methods, including Push-core(18 sediment samples), Niskin bottles (42 samples for near-bottom water), Macrolitter (30 collection events for anthropogenic debris) and Biota (29 sampling events). These materials are curated and deposited at the Centro Universitario Regional del Este (CURE), Universidad de la República (UdelaR), Uruguay.

This collection constitutes Deliverable #13 under the Joint Project Agreement (JPA) between UdelaR and the Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI).