Abundance, distribution and characteristics of microplastics in the North and South Atlantic Ocean

Microplastics are both pervasive in the marine environment and highly detrimental to it. In this study, we investigate the abundance, distribution, and characteristics of microplastics in surface waters on a transect spanning 6 major ocean current regions in the Atlantic Ocean from Scheveningen (the Netherlands) to Montevideo (Uruguay). 50 surface trawls were completed with a manta net (mesh 500 μm, cod 333 μm) and particles were analyzed in the laboratory including polymer type identification with ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. An overall abundance of 0.011 ± 0.017 items/m3 was found with a significant correlation between microplastic abundance and distance to coast. The dominant polymer types were HD-PE (63.5 %) and PP (28.3 %), shape was fragments (88.6 %), and color was white (59.1 %). We conclude that this study's findings reaffirm the widespread presence of microplastic pollution in the Atlantic Ocean, contributing data from consistently under-sampled regions such as the South Atlantic. [Display omitted] •50 surface trawls with a manta net (mesh 500 μm, cod 333 μm) were completed across the North and South Atlantic.•A transect spanning 6 major ocean currents from Scheveningen, the Netherlands to Montevideo, Uruguay were sampled.•ATR-FTIR spectroscopy was used for polymer identification.•An abundance of 0.011 items/m3 was found.•Dominant polymer type was HD-PE, shape was fragment, and color was white.