Abstract
At the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, biological and ecological effects of microplastics (plastic particles <5 mm) have been explored by scientists for a decade. Here we add to this research a new microplastic-related topic by exploring their potential to be preserved in the geological record as technofossils. Microplastics are resistant to most forms of degradation and are incredibly mobile. These features highlight microplastics as potential markers of the Anthropocene epoch, a new time unit that might become part of the geological time scale. Using general biostratigraphic practices, we illustrated the role of microplastics and their constituent polymers in defining the beginning of the Anthropocene. This analysis is discussed together with the available literature on the topic to conclude that microplastics have a great potential as auxiliary or secondary markers of the Anthropocene, opening a range of avenues to be further explored in future research.
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This study contributes to the research of the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG).
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Ivar do Sul, J.A., Labrenz, M. (2021). Microplastics into the Anthropocene. In: Rocha-Santos, T., Costa, M., Mouneyrac, C. (eds) Handbook of Microplastics in the Environment. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10618-8_25-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10618-8_25-2
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Microplastics into the Anthropocene- Published:
- 28 November 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10618-8_25-2
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Microplastics into the Anthropocene- Published:
- 06 November 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10618-8_25-1