Plastics in the Earth system

Plastic contamination of the environment is a global problem whose magnitude justifies the consideration of plastics as emergent geomaterials with chemistries not previously seen in Earth's history. At the elemental level, plastics are predominantly carbon. The comparison of plastic stocks and fluxes to those of carbon reveals that the quantities of plastics present in some ecosystems rival the quantity of natural organic carbon and suggests that geochemists should now consider plastics in their analyses. Acknowledging plastics as geomaterials and adopting geochemical insights and methods can expedite our understanding of plastics in the Earth system. Plastics also can be used as global-scale tracers to advance Earth system science.

Automated summary

Plastic pollution has become a global issue, prompting us to consider plastics as emergent geomaterials never before seen in Earth's history. With high carbon content, plastics can rival natural organic carbon in some ecosystems, prompting geochemists to include plastics in their analyses to expedite understanding of plastics in the Earth system. Furthermore, plastics can serve as global-scale tracers to advance Earth system science.