Images of dead seabirds with plastic waste stuffed into their stomachs or sea turtles trapped in fishing nets are heartbreaking and should draw media and public attention. However, when you look at things at a microscopic level, plastics have much more ubiquitous and sneaky effects on marine life, possibly even affecting vital processes that keep the planet habitable.
At the moment, 12 million metric tons of plastic are thought to reach the ocean annually. This plastic waste gradually disintegrates into smaller and smaller particles known as micro- and nanoplastics. While less visually noticeable, these plastics can have detrimental impacts on marine ecosystems and even threaten the stability of the planet's climate.Marine life, from massive filter-feeders to small plankton, is at risk due to the trillions of microplastic particles in the ocean.
According to a recent estimate, there may be 358 trillion microplastic particles floating on the top of the oceans, and there are untold billions more in the deeper regions. Their proliferation is especially concerning since marine life might easily mistake these microscopic particles for food. More species, from enormous filter-feeding whales to tiny animals at the base of the food chain known collectively as plankton, can ingest microplastic particles the smaller they are.