Scientists have made a disturbing discovery in our oceans – there are a million times more microplastics floating around than previously estimated. The new data reveals that smaller particles have been under-sampled as they were found in the stomachs of gelatinous plankton. Following this study, experts have now determined there are 8.3 million pieces per cubic feet of water – a number that is seven times more than the previous estimate. The study was conducted by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and led by biological oceanographer Jennifer Brandon who found some of the tiniest microplastics in seawater at much higher concentrations than previously measured. Scroll down for video The new data reveals that smaller particles have been under-sampled as they were found in the stomachs of gelatinous filter-feeding invertebrates (pictured) ‘For years we’ve been doing microplastics studies the same way, by using a net to collect samples,’ Brandon said. ‘But anything smaller than that net mesh has been escaping.’ RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next Self-cleaning surface that can repel all forms of bacteria… Apple acquires AI startup that uses machine learning to make… Share this article Share Most plastics are so chemically strong that neither microbes in soil nor water… Read full this story
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