The faecal microplastic pump: Zooplankton efficiently transport microplastics to the ocean depths
of MP below 1000 m, modifying their global vertical distribution and budgets. These results further revealed that MP export is partly driven by polymer density in coastal regions, whereas grazing and sinking faecal pellets drive most of MP export in the open ocean. This faecal MP pump represents a critical mechanism for deep-sea MP sequestration and transforms our understanding of MP fate in oceanic systems.
Authors
- Camille Richon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7097-7173)
- Thomas Gorguès (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0091-0314)
- Matthew Cole
- Olivier Aumont
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Ifremer (FR)
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory (GB)
- Laboratory for Ocean Physics and Satellite Remote Sensing (FR)
- Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (FR)
- Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Environnement Marin (FR)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Environmental Pollution
- Published
- 2026-04-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2026.128070
- Primary Topic
- Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00