Scientists tracked flame-retardant and plasticizer chemicals in seawater across the Western Pacific and South China Sea, finding that coastal seas absorb these pollutants from the atmosphere while the open ocean releases them back out, with ocean life playing a big role in pulling them out of surface water.
1
The South China Sea showed net absorption of organophosphate esters from the atmosphere at 1.66 ± 1.36 μg per square meter per day, while the Western Pacific released them at 0.41 ± 1.15 μg per square meter per day.
2
In the South China Sea, microbial biodegradation was the main driver removing these chemicals from surface water.
3
In the Western Pacific, the 'biological pump' (organisms and sinking particles) was the primary mechanism removing the chemicals from the upper water column.
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