Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2025
10:16
Protocol for Microplastics Sampling on the Sea Surface and Sample Analysis
Published on: December 16, 2016
49.6K
Microplastics and climate change: the global impacts of a tiny driver
Syama Sunil1, Geetika Bhagwat2, Salom Gnana Thanga Vincent1
1Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695034, India.
The Science of the Total Environment
|June 23, 2024
Summary
Microplastic pollution exacerbates climate change by impacting ocean carbon sequestration, polar ice melt, and greenhouse gas emissions. Addressing climate change requires a holistic approach that includes mitigating microplastic pollution.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Climate Science
- Ecology
Background:
- Microplastic pollution and climate change are significant global challenges.
- These two issues are interconnected through various environmental pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the interconnectedness between microplastic pollution and climate change.
- To identify the specific pathways linking these global stressors.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of existing literature on microplastic impacts.
- Examination of microplastic interactions with ocean carbon pumps, sea ice, and biogeochemical cycles.
- Investigation of greenhouse gas emissions associated with microplastics.
Main Results:
- Microplastics disrupt oceanic carbon sequestration by affecting phytoplankton and zooplankton.
- Microplastics alter polar sea ice dynamics, acting as sinks/sources and enhancing melt.
- Microplastics contribute to greenhouse gas emissions through direct release and altered microbial activity (plastisphere).
Conclusions:
- Microplastic pollution is a significant factor aggravating climate change impacts.
- A holistic approach is necessary to combat climate change, including addressing microplastic pollution.
Keywords:
Climate changeGreenhouse gas emissionMicroplasticsOcean carbon sequestrationPlastisphereSea iceMore Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:16What is Climate?
18.4K
Climate refers to the prevailing weather conditions in a specific area over an extended period. As the saying goes, “Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get.” Climate is influenced by geographic factors, such as latitude, terrain, and proximity to bodies of water.
18.4K
01:50Threats to Biodiversity
22.2K
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
22.2K
00:46Bioremediation
18.2K
Bioremediation is the use of prokaryotes, fungi, or plants to remove pollutants from the environment. This process has been used to remove harmful toxins in groundwater as a byproduct of agricultural run-off and also to clean up oil spills.
18.2K
02:26Ecological Disturbance
17.1K
An ecological disturbance is a temporary disruption in the environment resulting from abiotic, biotic, or anthropogenic factors, causing a pronounced change in an ecosystem. The impact of an ecological disturbance, which can depend on its intensity, frequency, and spatial distribution, plays a significant role in shaping the species diversity within the ecosystem.
17.1K
02:45Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
13.4K
Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.
13.4K
00:54What are Biogeochemical Cycles?
31.4K
The most common elements in organic molecules, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus, are only available in the ecosystem in limited amounts. Therefore, these nutrients must be recycled through both biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem, in processes generally called biogeochemical cycles.
31.4K