Microplastics are small plastic particles that are less than 5 millimeters in size. They are a major environmental concern as they are found in large quantities in the oceans and can have harmful effects on marine life. Estimating the age of microplastics in the upper ocean is important to understand their impact on the environment and to develop effective strategies to mitigate their effects. A novel approach has been developed to estimate the age of microplastics in the upper ocean.
The age of microplastics can be estimated by measuring the amount of a specific type of carbon called radiocarbon or carbon-14. Radiocarbon is a radioactive isotope of carbon that is produced naturally in the atmosphere and is absorbed by plants during photosynthesis. When animals eat these plants, they also absorb radiocarbon. As a result, all living organisms contain a certain amount of radiocarbon.
However, when an organism dies, it stops absorbing radiocarbon and the amount of radiocarbon in its body starts to decrease due to radioactive decay. This process is known as radiocarbon dating and is used to estimate the age of organic materials such as fossils and archaeological artifacts.
The same principle can be applied to estimate the age of microplastics in the upper ocean. Microplastics are made from petroleum-based materials that do not contain radiocarbon. However, they can absorb radiocarbon from the surrounding water and marine organisms that have ingested radiocarbon-containing materials.
The novel approach involves measuring the amount of radiocarbon in microplastics and comparing it to the amount of radiocarbon in the surrounding water and marine organisms. By doing so, researchers can estimate the age of microplastics based on the amount of radiocarbon they contain.
This approach has been tested on microplastics collected from different locations in the upper ocean. The results showed that microplastics from different locations had different ages, indicating that they had different sources and pathways of entry into the ocean.
The age of microplastics can provide valuable information about their impact on the environment. For example, microplastics that are relatively young may have entered the ocean recently and may be more likely to be ingested by marine organisms. On the other hand, microplastics that are relatively old may have been in the ocean for a long time and may have undergone physical and chemical changes that make them more harmful to marine life.
In conclusion, estimating the age of microplastics in the upper ocean is an important step towards understanding their impact on the environment. The novel approach of measuring radiocarbon in microplastics provides a valuable tool for researchers to estimate their age and develop effective strategies to mitigate their effects.
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