Question

question 9 0.5 pts researchers have found marine plastic debris: throughout the water column only at the bottom only at the surface question 10 0.5 pts the article describes plastic as not biodegradable, but instead as photodegradable. why is this a problem? the plastic is physically broken down by exposure to sunlight and then chemically broken down by microbes. the plastic is resistant to sun exposure, but is vulnerable to degradation by being metabolized by microbes at the base of food webs. the plastic is resistant to both biological breakdown and physical breakdown by exposure to solar radiation. the plastic becomes brittle and fragments with sun exposure into smaller and smaller pieces, but the molecular structure is never broken down.

Explanation:

For Question 9, marine plastic debris has been found throughout the water column due to various factors like currents and sinking of heavier - plastic items. For Question 10, plastic being photodegradable is a problem because it fragments into smaller pieces with sun exposure but the molecular structure remains intact, leading to long - term environmental persistence.

Answer:

Question 9: Throughout the water column
Question 10: The plastic becomes brittle and fragments with sun exposure into smaller and smaller pieces, but the molecular structure is never broken down.