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Did you know that simulated solar radiation can convert microplastics in seawater into dissolved organic carbon? This phenomenon, called photodissolution, has the potential to effectively remove microplastics from the surface ocean. A team led by Mengyue Wu, PhD student (UQAR-ISMER) and Huixiang Xie (UQAR-ISMER), examined the effects of temperature and light on the photodissolution of three polymers: polystyrene, polypropylene and thermoplastic polyurethane. Their results, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, demonstrated that the photodissolution of the tested microplastics is limited to the ocean surface layer that receives ocean UV-B and that water temperature plays a critical role in controlling the photodissolution of these microplastics. 

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