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We know microplastics are everywhere – but what’s less clear is the harm they might be doing. New research puts those potential harms into sharp focus, estimating that microplastics may reduce photosynthesis rates by as much as 18 percent.
An international team of researchers analyzed data from 157 previous studies related to plastics and photosynthesis, using machine learning to build up an overall picture for the world as a whole – and the potential impact on crop growth and food supplies.
Microplastic impacts varied across plant type and location, but average reductions in photosynthesis rates varied between 7.05 and 12.12 percent across terrestrial plants, marine algae, and freshwater algae. Levels of
chlorophyll a, a pigment essential to photosynthesis, was also reduced in freshwater algae by up to 18.25percent.
“This reduction is estimated to cause an annual loss of 109.73 to 360.87 million metric tons for crop production and 1.05 to 24.33 million metric tons for seafood production,” write the researchers in their published paper.
While the study is a rigorous one, it does involve some educated guesswork, extrapolating out results from studies that in some cases were on a very small scale – and then trying to map that data on to a hugely complex food supply chain for the world as a whole. Further research will be needed to confirm the predictions made here.
However, it’s a clear and concerning warning about the very real and damaging effects microplastic pollution might have in the future. After all, plant growth is such a crucial foundation for so much of what happens on Earth.
“Importantly, these adverse effects are highly likely to extend from food security to planetary health, as photosynthesis and, consequently, primary productivity serve as the foundation for not only food supply for humans but also key ecological functions,” write the researchers.
