From WIRED · Ritsuko Kawai · · 1m 40s
Plastic is melting onto corals
Researchers in Japan discovered plastic fused with coral skeleton, creating a new form of ocean pollution with unknown consequences for reef ecosystems.
In brief
Researchers in Japan discovered plastic fused with coral skeleton, creating a new form of ocean pollution with unknown consequences for reef ecosystems. Scientists found plastic melted into coral fragments on Japanese beaches, a phenomenon they call plasticoral, raising concerns about impacts on reef ecosystems…
Plastic waste is everywhere in the ocean
Several million metric tons of plastic lie on the seafloor. Scientists have recorded marine animals entangled in or consuming plastic debris for over half a century.
Researchers discover plastic fused with coral
Scientists surveying beaches on the Ryukyu Islands in southern Japan found small, brightly colored spots embedded in white coral gravel. Spectroscopic analysis revealed polymers from common household plastics.
The plastic has melted into the coral
Using micro-CT scans, researchers determined that polymers had melted into microscopic pores in coral skeleton fragments, becoming so integrated that the two could no longer be separated.
This is the first time plastic has fused with coral
In two thousand nineteen, researchers found degraded plastic coating mussels and algae in tide pools, called plastiskin. This new study marks the first time plastic has been seen fused with corals.
Dead coral plays a vital role in reefs
Coral rubble washed ashore often returns to sea and forms a stable foundation for new corals to settle on. Its irregular shapes provide essential hiding places for small marine organisms.
The impact on living corals remains unknown
Previous research shows chemicals leaching from plastics inhibit coral reproduction, and plastic fragments can carry pathogens to corals. Scientists suspect beach bonfires cause the plastic to fuse with coral.
The takeaway
Scientists found plastic melted into coral fragments on Japanese beaches, a phenomenon they call plasticoral, raising concerns about impacts on reef ecosystems.
