Posted April 19, 2025 · Submitted by Mei Tanaka, Kyoto University
The vertical fate of buoyant plastics in the open ocean remains poorly quantified, limiting global inventories of marine plastic pollution. Using moored sediment-trap arrays deployed across a subtropical gyre, we document a persistent downward flux of microplastic particles mediated by biological aggregation. Particle size and polymer composition exert strong control on sinking velocity, implying that surface-based surveys systematically underestimate the total plastic burden of the water column and its potential for long-term sequestration at depth.
Mei Tanaka, Liam O'Connor (2025). Microplastic Vertical Transport in the Subtropical Gyre: Evidence from Sediment Trap Arrays. TerraNova preprint.
Mei Tanaka, Amara Okeke, Sofia Reyes
Recurrent marine heatwaves are restructuring coral reef ecosystems more rapidly than recovery can proceed. Synthesising five years of survey data along a thermal-stress gradient, we document a directional shift toward heat-tolerant but stru…
Read preprint →Mei Tanaka, Amara Okeke, Sofia Reyes
Recurrent marine heatwaves are restructuring coral reef ecosystems more rapidly than recovery can proceed. Synthesising five years of survey data along a thermal-stress gradient, we document a directional shift toward heat-tolerant but stru…
Read preprint →Mei Tanaka, Henrik Vasquez
Forecasting eruptions at persistently active volcanoes requires robust links between surface deformation and subsurface magmatic processes. We analyse a multi-year interferometric synthetic-aperture radar time series spanning two eruptive e…
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