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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=ES link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><i><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'>Science </span></i><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'> 30 Apr 2020:eaba5899<br>DOI: 10.1126/science.aba5899 <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'>Seafloor microplastic hotspots controlled by deep-sea circulation<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'>Ian A. Kane</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'><a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/04/29/science.aba5899#aff-1"><sup><span lang=EN-US style='color:blue'>1</span></sup></a></span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'>,</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'><a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/04/29/science.aba5899#corresp-1"><span lang=EN-US style='color:blue'>*</span></a></span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'>, Michael A. Clare</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'><a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/04/29/science.aba5899#aff-2"><sup><span lang=EN-US style='color:blue'>2</span></sup></a></span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'>, Elda Miramontes</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'><a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/04/29/science.aba5899#aff-3"><sup><span lang=EN-US style='color:blue'>3</span></sup></a></span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'>,</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'><a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/04/29/science.aba5899#aff-4"><sup><span lang=EN-US style='color:blue'>4</span></sup></a></span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'>, Roy Wogelius</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'><a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/04/29/science.aba5899#aff-1"><sup><span lang=EN-US style='color:blue'>1</span></sup></a></span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'>, James J. Rothwell</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'><a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/04/29/science.aba5899#aff-5"><sup><span lang=EN-US style='color:blue'>5</span></sup></a></span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'>, </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'>Pierre Garreau<a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/04/29/science.aba5899#aff-6"><sup><span style='color:blue'>6</span></sup></a>, Florian Pohl<a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/04/29/science.aba5899#aff-7"><sup><span style='color:blue'>7</span></sup></a></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'> <span lang=EN-US><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'>Abstract<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:ES'>While microplastics are known to pervade the global seafloor, the processes that control their dispersal and concentration in the deep sea remain largely unknown. Here we show that thermohaline-driven currents, which build extensive seafloor sediment accumulations, can control the distribution of microplastics and create hotspots of up to 1.9 million pieces m<sup>−2</sup>. This is the highest reported value for any seafloor setting, globally. Previous studies propose that microplastics are transported to the seafloor by vertical settling from surface accumulations; here we demonstrate that the spatial distribution and ultimate fate of microplastics is strongly controlled by near-bed thermohaline currents (bottom currents). These currents are known to supply oxygen and nutrients to deep sea benthos, suggesting that deep sea biodiversity hotspots are also likely to be microplastic hotspots.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br /> <table style="border-top: 1px solid #D3D4DE;">
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