There are over 5 billion plastic particles floating on the surface of our oceans—much to the detriment of the living organisms, the delicate underwater ecosystem, and even the climate. Until now, it was possible to determine how long it takes for the plastic to completely degrade only by extrapolating from laboratory data. But researchers at the University of Stuttgart have recently conducted a study on plastic pellets released in a shipwreck in the Red Sea. This has led to a better understanding of the aging of plastic. The results were reported in Scientific Reports on July 13, 2022.
Click here for original story, Microplastics: Shipwreck and beach as a real-world laboratory
Source: Phys.org