Occurrence and ingestion of microplastics by zooplankton in Kenya's marine environment: first documented evidence

Kosore, Charles Mitto; Ojwang, Loice M.; Maghanga, Justin K.; Kamau, Joseph; Kimeli, Amon; Omukoto, Johnstone O.; Ngisiag’e, N; Mwaluma, James; Ong'ada, H.; Magori, Charles; Ndirui, E

doi:10.2989/1814232x.2018.1492969

Cited by 111 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 84%

“…On the other hand, there were no significant differences among the locations for fragments (n = 13.5) and films (n = 2.5). The dominance of fibers/filaments matches studies in Europe (Faure et al 2015), Asia (Su et al 2016), and the Kenyan marine coastline, for which 76% fibers/ filaments was recorded (Kosore et al 2018). The population growth rate near Lake Naivasha has been approximately 3.1% annually since 2009, with a mean population of approximately 650 000 persons in the town of Naivasha, of which 160 000 live around the lake.…”

Section: Microplastic Characterizationsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…Third, sampling time relative to wind speed is a considerable factor with respect to microplastic abundance in surface waters (Kosore et al 2018). Absence of wind has been reported to contribute to greater microplastic concentrations as a result of vertical mixing and the resuspension of benthic particles (Ballent et al 2016; Maes et al 2017).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Absence of wind has been reported to contribute to greater microplastic concentrations as a result of vertical mixing and the resuspension of benthic particles (Ballent et al 2016; Maes et al 2017). In turn, this favors surface stratification (Kosore et al 2018), leading to microplastic accumulation on surface waters. The use of plankton nets instead of dedicated surface/Neuston nets has also been reported to result in the recovery of higher microplastic concentrations (Su et al 2016; Wang et al 2017).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Colored microplastics were dominant and accounted for approximately 81% of the particles recovered (Figure 4). Similarly, in marine surface water along the Kenyan coastal region, recovered microplastics were mostly white (51%) and black (26%), with the rest being an array of the other colors (Kosore et al 2018). In 20 urban Chinese lakes, colored microplastics recovered accounted for 50.4 to 86.9% of the total microplastics quantitatively (Wang et al 2017).…”

Section: Microplastic Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Occurrence and Spatial Distribution of Microplastics in the Surface Waters of Lake Naivasha, Kenya

Migwi

Ogunah

Kiratu

2020

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Microplastics are emerging threat contaminants that have been shown to provide toxic pollutants, either from the environment or from their inherent toxic monomers and additives, a pathway into the aquatic food web. In the present study, the occurrence, abundance, and composition of microplastic load in the surface water of Lake Naivasha (Kenya) was determined. The surface water physicochemical parameters were measured in situ; microplastic samples were collected using plankton net trawls and treated with H2O2 to decompose organic matter. The microplastic particles recovered were classified both by visual observation and by attenuated total reflection–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The average microplastic concentration range in surface water was 0.183 ± 0.017 to 0.633 ± 0.067 particles/m2, with the mean concentration being 0.407 ± 0.135 particles/m2. Fragments, fibers, and films were identified and were mostly composed of polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyester. We also performed correlational analysis, which showed a strong positive association between microplastic quantity and turbidity, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus in the lake. The high variability in microplastic densities exhibited between the sampled locations was attributed to human activities, water and wastewater intake through rivers and tributaries, and the presence of local wind patterns responsible for the general water circulation. Our assessment adds to the growing documentation of microplastic presence in freshwater ecosystems, and provides a baseline for future monitoring and assessment in sediment and biota of Lake Naivasha and other Kenyan freshwater systems. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:765–774. © 2020 SETAC

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 84%