Webinar of Margot THIBAULT

28 September 2026

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Time: Sept 28, 2026 09:30 AM Paris

11 participants online

Concentration gradient of plastic debris larger than 500 μm detected across the Southwest Indian ocean

Home institution: PostDoc Position at University of Reunion Island

Summary

Marine litter is increasingly being studied in the Indian Ocean. This study assesses plastic pollution in the south-western Indian Ocean – ranging from macroplastics to microplastics – based on 19 oceanographic surveys.

Of the 11,438 items of litter identified, over 70 per cent were plastic debris. Macroplastics were mainly observed near the Glorieuses Islands, while microplastics predominated offshore. Concentrations increased from west to east between 30° and 33°S. The plastics were predominantly rigid fragments, mainly made of polyethylene (45.7%) and polypropylene (26.7%). These results highlight the importance of continuing research to better understand and map the Indian Ocean’s plastic accumulation zone.

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Reference

Thibault, M., Fajeau, A., Ramanampananjy, A. et al. (2025). Concentration gradient of plastic debris larger than 500 μm detected across the Southwest Indian ocean. Sci Rep 15, 22364. doi:10.1038/s41598-025-02893-0
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