Study: Microplastics Weaken Ocean CO2 Absorption

A new study has revealed that microplastics are disrupting the oceans' ability to absorb carbon dioxide, potentially weakening a vital natural barrier against global warming. Researchers from the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates analyzed 89 scientific studies and found that these tiny plastic particles, smaller than five millimeters, interfere with marine ecosystems and carbon cycling processes. The findings, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials Plastics, highlight an overlooked connection between plastic pollution and climate change.

The oceans serve as Earth's largest carbon sink, absorbing about a quarter of human-produced carbon dioxide each year and capturing 90 percent of excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions. This role is primarily driven by the biological carbon pump, where phytoplankton use photosynthesis to take in carbon dioxide and transfer it to deeper waters through the marine food web, including zooplankton that consume the phytoplankton. According to the study, microplastics hinder this system by reducing phytoplankton productivity and impairing zooplankton metabolism. "In marine ecosystems, microplastics alter the natural carbon...