Microplastics and Microfibers extracted from box core of sediment sampled from Santa Barbara Basin, on Cal-ECHOES cruise, 2010, at 34°17.228’ N, 120°02.135’ W, in approximately 580 m water depth.

A box core was taken in the Santa Barbara Basin on the Cal-ECHOES cruise, in October 2010, at 34°17.228’ N, 120°02.135’ W, in approximately 580 m water depth. X-radiographs were taken of the core to date it to a 1-2 year timescale. The core was cut every 0.5 cm with a thin wire, oven-dried, washed, and wet-sieved over a 104 μm sieve. The >104 μm was first sorted for fish otoliths by William Jones, and then sorted again for this study for microplastics and microfibers with a dissecting microscope. Every particle was measured, photographed, and categorized. A subset of particles were also spectrally identified as plastic or not plastic via FTIR spectroscopy.