Microplastic Pollution in Oceans: Pattern, Sources, Effects, and Sustainable Mitigation of the Problem

Abstract

The oceans are being used by humans as a trash disposal system. Plastic pollution in the ocean is one significant environmental issue that has drawn a lot of attention lately. Pollution from ocean microplastics is becoming a major environmental issue that threatens human health, animal welfare, and marine ecosystems. This evitable exposure to microplastics emphasized the need to know about microplastic contamination and measures to control it. Therefore, this chapter aims to provide a thorough understanding of the dynamics of ocean microplastic pollution and to suggest a comprehensive framework for long-term, sustainable mitigation of the problem. It defines and analyzes the issues of microplastic pollution in oceans, different sources of microplastics, transformation in properties of microplastic, its pathways, and their impact on the marine ecosystem and organisms, etc.