Topic: The Fate and Hazards of Degrading Microplastics in the Marine Environment: From Processes to Impacts

The accumulation of plastics and microplastics in marine environments has become a major environmental challenge, attracting increasing global attention. Once exposed to environmental factors such as UV radiation, wave action, and biological activity, these pollutants undergo continuous fragmentation and degradation, generating progressively smaller particles and increasing their abundance. Developing a comprehensive mechanistic understanding of these processes is critical for accurately predicting the fate, bioavailability, and ecological impacts of microplastics on marine organisms and ecosystem health. This Special Issue aims to explore the environmental behavior, transformation pathways, and ecological risks of plastics and microplastics in marine systems.

Special Issue Call for Papers:

We welcome original research articles and reviews that address key aspects of plastics and microplastics in marine environments, including their sources, fate, interactions with biota, degradation mechanisms, and potential mitigation strategies. We cordially invite researchers to contribute their innovative findings to this Special Issue to advance scientific understanding and inform effective solutions to this pressing global challenge.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

● Transport and Fate: Distribution, sources, sinks, and transport pathways of microplastics in marine environments;

● Degradation Mechanisms: Photodegradation, biodegradation, and other processes influencing microplastic persistence;

● Ecological Impacts: Risks posed by microplastics to marine organisms across trophic levels and to overall ecosystem health.

Microplastics, nanoplastics, degradation mechanisms, transport dynamics, ecological risks