Tiny bits of plastic get to the seafloor by hitching rides on snot palaces
Scientists have discovered a new way for tiny pieces of plastic to move around the ocean: through the poop and snot made by a peculiar sea creature that’s half the size of your hand. The new research shows the important role that small, unassuming sea critters can have in transporting plastic waste from the ocean surface all the way to the seafloor.
The animals described in the study, published today in Science Advances, are called Bathochordaeus stygius. These are so-called larvaceans that live inside snot “houses” used to filter seawater for food. As the creatures filter water, they also filter tiny pieces of plastic that litter the oceans. Some of this plastic is eaten by the animals, and then discarded through poop, which sinks to…
