Plastic Pollution in the Global Ocean

The following sections are included:

• About the Editor
• Contents

Plastic pollution is a growing environmental problem that is attracting increasing interest across society, from academics to the general public. A significant factor in the wide public interest in plastics is its visibility: present throughout urban and rural environments, washing up on beaches and even visible from space (Biermann et al., 2020; Topouzelis et al., 2019). With growing plastic production and usage, plastic waste within the environment will continue to increase. This increased input, along with its persistence, leads to accumulation and increasing ecosystem exposure, with as-yet-unknown consequences…

The following sections are included:

• The History of Plastics
• The Challenges
• The Future of Plastics
• Summary and Outlook
• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• Where Does Land-Based Plastic Waste Come from?
• Plastics on the Move
• Concluding Remarks
• Acknowledgements
• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• Beaching and Coastal Retention of Plastics
• Surface Transport and Accumulations of Plastics
• Surface Transport to Remote Regions
• Vertical Transport of Plastics
• Plastic Accumulation in the Deep Sea
• Conclusion
• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• Plastic Ingestion by Marine Megafauna
• Entanglement in Plastic Pollution
• Habitat Implications
• Discussion
• Conclusion
• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• What Is a Microplastic?
• Levels in the Environment
• Assessment of Risk
• Challenges and Uncertainties
• Conclusion
• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• Abundance and Characteristics of Microplastics in Invertebrates
• Biological Effects and Toxicity of Microplastics on Invertebrates
• Ecological Impacts of Microplastics Ingested by Invertebrates
• Prospects
• Acknowledgements
• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• Toxic Effects of MPs to Aquatic Organisms
• Combined Effects of MPs and Associated Chemicals on Aquatic Biota
• Trophic Transfer of Microplastics/Nanoplastics (Biomagnification)
• Environmental Realism and Complexity of the Issue
• Conclusions
• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• Sources
• Transport
• Fate
• Summary
• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• Sources of Plastic to ASO
• Transport
• Sinks
• ASO-Specific Considerations
• Impact
• Summary, Conclusions and Future Directions
• Acknowledgements
• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• The Plastisphere as a Microbial Biofilm on Plastics
• Importance of Eukaryotes in Shaping the Plastisphere
• Plastic Degradation
• Potential Pathogens Associated with Plastics
• Effects of Microbe–Plastic Interactions on Plastic Buoyancy and Transport
• Effects of Plastic Pollution on Biogeochemical Cycling in the Oceans
• Conclusions and Future Directions
• Supplemental Materials
• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• Classifications of Biodegradable Plastics
• Chemical Composition of Biodegradable Polymers
• Biodegradation of Biodegradable Polymers
• Standardisation and Certification of Biodegradable Plastics
• Environmental Considerations of Biodegradable Plastics
• Social Considerations of Biodegradable Plastics
• Economic Considerations of Biodegradable Plastics
• Conclusion and Outlook
• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• Policy Solutions
• Industry Action
• Technology Solutions
• Innovation Solutions
• Conclusions
• References

The following section is included:

• Index