Floating Microplastics in the World’s Oceans

Dear Colleagues,

The dispersion of plastics in the oceans is a global pollution problem that poses a great threat to the marine ecosystem. Mismanaged wastes are the main source of plastic entering marine environments worldwide. Once in the sea, they persist through centuries, going to fragmentation under the effect of photodegradation by UV radiations and the action of environmental mechanical forces, such as waves. This degradation process allows to the formation of smaller and smaller plastic pieces over time, up to microplastics (less than 5 mm in size). These small fragments persist in the environment, increasing the plastics’ bioavailability and dispersion due to their small dimension and chemical features. Microplastics are ubiquitous even if not uniformly distributed worldwide.

The purpose of this special issue is to bring together the scientific studies carried out on pollution by marine floating microplastics (MPs) all over the world. The main topics will be:

• the source of pollution,
• the type of microplastics in the different geographical areas,
• the impacts on the water column and its inhabitants,
• to discuss the latest techniques used by scientists,
• to better understand the possible future consequences and the solutions to the problem. 

Dr. Monique Mancuso
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Oceans is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• microplastics
• marine ecosystem
• marine pollution