Into the ‘plastisphere’: Scientists comb Japan waters to study new eco threat

The planet’s seafloor is littered with an estimated 14 million tonnes of microplastics, according to a study released last year. Photo: AFP

A boat's crew casts a net into the seemingly clean waters off Japan’s Izu peninsula, but not to catch fish – they are scooping up microplastics to learn more about the pollution’s impact on marine life.

Tiny floating fragments from plastic packaging, synthetic clothing and fishing nets have proliferated over the past four decades, and are now found in every part of the world’s oceans – even the deepest trench.