The tiny particles of plastic known as microplastics, or MPs, are less than 5 millimeters (0.20 inches) in diameter and are known to be hazardous to the environment and marine life. A 2022 finding estimated that there are about 51 trillion pieces of microplastics in the ocean with a combined weight of 269,000 tons, equivalent to 1,345 blue whales. But, how long have these microplastics been in the ocean and can they be tracked to determine the long-term ramifications of their ocean presence?These questions are what a recent study published in Marine Pollution Bulletin hope to figure out as a team of researchers examined the potential age range of microplastics that reside in the upper ocean.