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Fundamental Research
News 08 July 2026

A multivariate index to estimate the degradation age of plastics in the oceans

Estimating the residence time of plastics in marine environments is a major challenge for understanding their environmental fate, quantifying pollution fluxes, and improving oceanic transport models. Plastic aging has generally been assessed using a single physicochemical indicator, even though polymer degradation results from complex processes simultaneously driven by photo-oxidation, mechanical abrasion, biodegradation, the intrinsic properties of polymers, and environmental conditions.