From inshore to offshore: distribution of microplastics in three Italian seawaters

Abstract

A comprehensive understanding of the concentration of microplastics (MPs) in seawaters is essential to implement monitoring programs and understand the impacts on ecosystems, as required by the European legislation to protect the marine environment. In this context, the purpose of this study is to investigate the composition, quantity, and spatial distribution of microplastics from coastal to offshore areas in three Italian seawaters. In addition, the distribution of microplastics between surface and subsurface water layers was analyzed in order to better understand the dynamics of MPs in the upper layers of the water column. A total number of 6069 MPs (mean total concentration of 0.029 microplastics · m−2) were found to be heterogeneous in type, shape, and color. In general, MPs concentrations decrease with coastal distance, except when environmental forcings are predominant (such as sea currents). Moreover, the amount of surface MPs was almost four times that of subsurface microplastics, which consisted mostly of fibers. In light of these results, it becomes clear how critical it is to plan remediation actions and programs to minimize microplastic accumulations in the sea.

Assessing Microplastics and Nanoparticles in the Surface Seawater of Venice Lagoon—Part I: Methodology of Research

“…For Rialto Brid the dominant colors were black, red, and yellow (Figure 4b), while blue and black w primarily found at the Saint Marc basin sampling location (Figure 4c). Similar color MPs have been reported in other studies [48,71,72].…”

Microplastics Uptake by Four Filter Feeders

“…The Mediterranean Sea is a hot spot for plastic pollution, with an average concentration of 0.0058 items/m 3 microplastics in the water column [46][47][48], as per the relationship suggested by Lusher (2015) [49]. In the IMTA area of the Taranto Gulf, where the species were collected, this concentration is two orders of magnitude higher, at 0.62 items/m 3 [46].…”

“…MPs are widespread in marine environments, and their concentration is highly variable among different areas due to different environmental conditions and sampling methodologies [45]. The Mediterranean Sea is a hot spot for plastic pollution, with an average concentration of 0.0058 items/m 3 microplastics in the water column [46][47][48], as per the relationship suggested by Lusher (2015) [49]. In the IMTA area of the Taranto Gulf, where the species were collected, this concentration is two orders of magnitude higher, at 0.62 items/m 3 [46].…”