Researchers sampled seawater off Monterey Bay with a remotely operated vehicle. They detected microplastics at every sampled depth, from 5 to 1,000 meters, and reported a peak of 15 particles per cubic meter at 200 meters (Choy et al., 2019).
The infographic shows the peak reported in the text and four approximate readings from Figure 1B. Most depths had one sample. The study targeted particles larger than 100 micrometers and smaller than 5 millimeters, and the findings describe local sampling (Choy et al., 2019).
References
Choy, C. A., Robison, B. H., Gagne, T. O., Erwin, B., Firl, E., Halden, R. U., Hamilton, J. A., Katija, K., Lisin, S. E., Rolsky, C., & Van Houtan, K. S. (2019). The vertical distribution and biological transport of marine microplastics across the epipelagic and mesopelagic water column. Scientific Reports, 9, Article 7843. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44117-2
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Deep Discoverer At Work by NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2026 ROV Shakedown. Public domain under the NOAA Ocean Exploration media terms. Cropped, brightened and shaded near the lower edge. Shows Dutton Seamount, Hawaii, as an example of deep-ocean ROV operations.
