Coral may be key clue to ocean microplastics mystery

As mankind’s reliance on plastics continues to grow, plastic waste is accumulating in the oceans, forming huge “garbage islands”. These plastics not only pose a direct threat to marine organisms, but also form microplastics through degradation, which further infiltrate the food chain.

Recently, an international team of researchers, using a newly developed microplastic detection technique, found microplastic particles smaller than 300 microns in coral samples. This finding suggests that corals may be the “kitchen sink” for microplastics in the ocean, providing new clues to solving the problem of marine plastic pollution.