A rapid method for assessing the accumulation of microplastics in the sea surface microlayer (SML) of estuarine systems

Anderson, Zachary; Cundy, Andrew B.; Croudace, Ian W.; Warwick, Phillip E.; Celis-Hernández, Omar; Stead, Jessica L.

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-27612-w

Cited by 62 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Suspected microplastic morphology was, as in the previous study utilising the same sampling method 8 , dominated by fibres (> 99%). As such, only fibres are presented in the data here.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

“…As such, only fibres are presented in the data here. As for the previous study 8 , it may be that the presence of sediment and organic material on the filters obscured microplastics of different shapes. The sampling technique may also have influenced the microplastics sampled, as previous studies in the open ocean found an effect of the SML sampling technique used on the abundance of various shapes of microplastic in the SML 29 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 50%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Identification of tidal trapping of microplastics in a temperate salt marsh system using sea surface microlayer sampling

Stead

Cundy

Hudson

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Microplastics are contaminants of increasing global environmental concern. Estuaries are a major transport pathway for land-derived plastics to the open ocean but are relatively understudied compared to coastal and open marine environments. The role of the "estuarine filter", by which the supply of sediments and contaminants to the sea is moderated by processes including vegetative trapping and particle flocculation, remains poorly defined for microplastics land to sea transfer. Here, we focus on the sea surface microlayer (SML) as a vector for microplastics, and use SML sampling to assess microplastic trapping in a temperate marsh system in Southampton Water, UK. The SML is known to concentrate microplastics relative to the underlying water and is the first part of rising tidal waters to traverse intertidal and upper tidal surfaces. Sampling a salt marsh creek at high temporal resolution allowed assessment of microplastics in-wash and outflow from the salt marsh, and its relationship with tidal state and bulk suspended sediment concentrations (SSC), over spring and neap tides. A statistically significant decrease in microplastics abundance from the flood tide to the ebb tide was found, and a weak positive relationship with SSC observed. Microplastics are defined as "any synthetic solid particles or polymeric matrix, with regular or irregular shape and size, and with size ranging from 1 µm to 5 mm, of either primary or secondary manufacturing origin, which are insoluble in water" 1. They are of increasing environmental concern due to their ubiquitous presence in oceans 2 , rivers 3,4 , the atmosphere 5 and on land 6. Microplastics are also more abundant by quantity compared to larger meso-or macroplastic debris 2. It is currently estimated that 80% of marine plastic debris is derived from land-based anthropogenic sources 7 , although these estimates are highly uncertain 7. Between 1.15 and 2.47 million tonnes of plastic debris of any size larger than 300 µm is estimated to be transported by rivers 3. Due to this large plastic throughflow, estuaries are recognised as an important transport pathway from land to sea for microplastics 8. As well as these riverine inputs, estuaries are frequently sites of intense urbanisation and industrial development, and receive plastic inputs from these sources directly, including through discharges from storm drains and waste water treatment works 9. Estuaries are, however, relatively understudied compared to beach and open marine environments with respect to both macro-and micro-plastics 10,11 , despite their likely importance for microplastic land-sea transfer and their ecological importance. Estuarine habitats such as salt marshes and mudflats are also potentially more favourable for the deposition of microplastics over high-energy environments such as sandy beaches 12. While several estuaries worldwide have been sampled to determine the abundance of microplastics (e.g. 13-15), it is only recently that detailed studies of microplastics cycling and trapping in estuaries have be...

show abstract

“…Suspected microplastic morphology was, as in the previous study utilising the same sampling method 8 , dominated by fibres (> 99%). As such, only fibres are presented in the data here.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 50%

Identification of tidal trapping of microplastics in a temperate salt marsh system using sea surface microlayer sampling

Stead

Cundy

Hudson

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Depending on their composition and degree of biofouling, many common microplastics are less dense than seawater so tend to float at or near the ocean surface, and as such may exhibit high concentrations in the upper ocean relative to deeper water. Manta trawls are used near the surface and a number of methods are available for sampling in the 1-1,000 µm surface microlayer, including rapid and facile glass plate sampling methods, which collect samples that contain relatively small amounts of sediment and biogenic material, facilitating subsequent microplastics identification (Anderson et al, 2018).…”

Section: Samplers and Subsequent Analyticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward the Integrated Marine Debris Observing System

Maximenko¹,

Corradi²,

Law³

et al. 2019

Front. Mar. Sci.

Self Cite

220

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Plastics and other artificial materials pose new risks to the health of the ocean. Anthropogenic debris travels across large distances and is ubiquitous in the water and on shorelines, yet, observations of its sources, composition, pathways, and distributions in the ocean are very sparse and inaccurate. Total amounts of plastics and other man-made debris in the ocean and on the shore, temporal trends in these amounts under exponentially increasing production, as well as degradation processes, vertical fluxes, and time scales are largely unknown. Present ocean circulation models are not able to accurately simulate drift of debris because of its complex hydrodynamics. In this paper we discuss the structure of the future integrated marine debris observing system (IMDOS) that is required to provide long-term monitoring of the state of this anthropogenic pollution and support operational activities to mitigate impacts on the ecosystem and on the safety of maritime activity. The proposed observing system integrates remote sensing and in situ observations. Also, models are used to optimize the design of the system and, in turn, they will be gradually improved using the products of the system. Remote sensing technologies will provide spatially coherent coverage and consistent surveying time series at local to global scale. Optical sensors, including high-resolution imaging, multi-and hyperspectral, fluorescence, and Raman technologies, as well as SAR will be used to measure different types of debris. They will be implemented in a variety of platforms, from hand-held tools to ship-, buoy-, aircraft-, and satellite-based sensors. A network of in situ observations, including reports from volunteers, citizen scientists and ships of opportunity, will be developed to provide data for calibration/validation of remote sensors and to monitor the spread of plastic pollution and other marine debris. IMDOS will interact with other observing systems monitoring physical, chemical, and biological processes in the ocean and on shorelines as well as the state of the ecosystem, maritime activities and safety, drift of sea ice, etc. The synthesized data will support innovative multidisciplinary research and serve a diverse community of users.

show abstract

“…In comparison with our study area,Lusher et al (2013) reported that 37% of fish in the English Channel had ingested MP, whereas this ingestion was only 5.4% in the southern North Sea(Foekema et al 2013). The high occurrence of MP in estuarine fish suggests that MP are more common within estuarine water column and sediments than in the marine environment(Anderson et al 2018). These transitory waters are important transport routes of MP into the marine environment since about 80% of marine plastics are derived from land-based anthropogenic sources(Andrady 2011;Schmidt et al 2017).…”

mentioning

confidence: 55%

Juvenile fish caging as a tool for assessing microplastics contamination in estuarine fish nursery grounds

Kazour

Jemaa

Rakwe

et al. 2018

Environ Sci Pollut Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Estuaries serve as nursery grounds for many marine fish species. However, increasing human activities within estuaries and surrounding areas lead to significant habitat quality degradation for the juveniles. In recent years, plastic pollution has become a global environmental issue as plastic debris are found in all aquatic environments with potential adverse impacts on marine biota. Given the important ecological role of estuaries and implications of microplastics (MP) in ecosystems, here we assess the occurrence, number, size and polymer types of MP ingested by wild and caged juveniles European flounder (Platichthys flesus). We deployed caged fish for one month at five sites in three estuaries in the Eastern English Channel. The Seine estuary, heavily impacted by manmade modifications and one of the most contaminated estuaries in Europe, was compared to two smaller estuaries (Canche and Liane) less impacted by industrial activities. We found that juvenile flounders (7-9 cm) were vulnerable to plastic ingestion. 75% of caged fish and 58% of wild caught fish had the presence of MP items in their digestive tract. Fibers (69%) dominated in the fish's digestive tract at all sites. An average of 2.04 ± 1.93 MP items were ingested by feral juveniles flounder and 1.67 ± 1.43 by caged juveniles flounder. For the caged fish, the three sites impacted by wastewater treatment plant (Liane, Le Havre Harbor and Rouen) were those with the highest percentage of individuals that have ingested MP items. Most of the isolated items were fibers and blue in color. Polymers identified by micro Raman spectroscopy were Polycaprolactam, Polyethylene Terephtalate and Polyurethane. Although other environmental factors may have affected caged fish condition and mortality, we found no significant correlation with the number of ingested MP. However, the high occurrence of MP ingested by juvenile fish on nursery grounds raises concerns on their potential negative effects for fish recruitment success and population renewal. Finally, this study describes, for the first time, the feasibility of using caged juvenile fish as an assessing tool of MP contamination in estuarine nursery grounds.

show abstract

A rapid method for assessing the accumulation of microplastics in the sea surface microlayer (SML) of estuarine systems

Cited by 62 publications

References 23 publications

Identification of tidal trapping of microplastics in a temperate salt marsh system using sea surface microlayer sampling

Identification of tidal trapping of microplastics in a temperate salt marsh system using sea surface microlayer sampling

Toward the Integrated Marine Debris Observing System

Juvenile fish caging as a tool for assessing microplastics contamination in estuarine fish nursery grounds

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About