marine microplastics pollution has become one of the worldwide concerned hotspot about marine ecological environ ment. Microplastics can exist in the ocean for years, decades, and even several centuries because of their chemical property, which can threaten the health of marine organisms. Therefore, to assess the ecological risks caused by microplastics and make political deci sions for governance planning it is essential to understand their pathways in the aquatic environment, their sources and sinks and how they are impacting the ecosystem. This paper summarized the research progress of microplastics in the ocean, including the distribution and concentration of marine microplastics, and different movements in the transport simulation of microplastics. The research directions were proposed for the future, to answer the fate of microplastics in the ocean by models, the settlement process and biofouling effect on microplastics need to be clear.