•1 min read•from Oceanography News -- ScienceDaily
Scientists trace fertilizer microplastics from fields to beaches
Our take
A recent study reveals that plastic-coated fertilizers used in agriculture are a significant yet overlooked contributor to ocean microplastics. Researchers found that while a small amount of these microplastics makes its way to beaches via rivers, a far greater quantity is directly drained from fields into the sea. Once onshore, ocean waves and tides briefly confine these particles, only for many to disappear again.
Plastic-coated fertilizers used on farms are emerging as a major but hidden source of ocean microplastics. A new study found that only a tiny fraction reaches beaches through rivers, while direct drainage from fields to the sea sends far more plastic back onto shore. Once there, waves and tides briefly trap the particles on beaches before many vanish again. This helps explain why so much plastic pollution seems to disappear after reaching the ocean.
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