Research has found that synthetic organic chemicals are now widespread throughout the global oceans.

A recent study conducted by researchers from institutions such as Rhodes University in South Africa and the University of California, Riverside, shows that synthetic organic chemicals are widespread in the world’s oceans and are commonly found in dissolved organic matter in seawater. According to the Rhodes University official website, the research team used high-resolution mass spectrometry and scalable computational tools to analyze 2,315 seawater samples taken from the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, mapping the distribution of synthetic organic chemicals in dissolved organic matter in seawater. The results indicate that compounds related to pesticides and pharmaceuticals are primarily concentrated in coastal areas, while industrial compounds such as plastic additives, lubricants, and surfactants are widely present throughout the ocean ecosystem. In typical coastal environments, anthropogenic organic molecules account for up to 20% of the detected dissolved organic matter, and even 20 kilometers away from the coast, this proportion still reaches around 1%. Researchers warn that these synthetic organic substances may affect the activity of marine microorganisms and the ocean carbon cycle, and their long-term ecological consequences are still poorly understood. They call for long-term and standardized monitoring to track the presence and impact of synthetic chemicals in marine ecosystems. Relevant findings were recently published in the academic journal Nature - Earth Science. (Xinhua)