Polystyrene spherules in the Severn Estuary — A progress report

Kartar, S.; Abou‐Seedo, F.; Sainsbury, M.

doi:10.1016/0025-326x(76)90092-8

Cited by 52 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Some of the earliest studies noting ingestion of microplastics by wild-caught fish include coastal species from the USA ) and the U.K. (Kartar et al 1973(Kartar et al , 1976. More recent studies from the NPCG reported microplastic (fibres, fragments and films) ingestion by mesopelagic fish (Boerger et al 2010;Davison and Asch 2011;Choy and Drazen 2013).…”

Section: Fishmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics in the Marine Environment: Distribution, Interactions and Effects

Lusher

2015

Marine Anthropogenic Litter

359

326

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Microplastics are an emerging marine pollutant. It is important to understand their distribution in the marine environment and their implications on marine habitats and marine biota. Microplastics have been found in almost every marine habitat around the world, with plastic composition and environmental conditions significantly affecting their distribution. Marine biota interact with microplastics including birds, fish, turtles, mammals and invertebrates. The biological repercussions depend on to the size of microplastics encountered, with smaller sizes having greater effects on organisms at the cellular level. In the micrometre range plastics are readily ingested and egested, whereas nanometre-sized plastics can pass through cell membranes. Despite concerns raised by ingestion, the effects of microplastic ingestion in natural populations and the implications for food webs are not understood. Without knowledge of retention and egestion rates of field populations, it is difficult to deduce ecological consequences. There is evidence to suggest that microplastics enter food chains and there is trophic transfer between predators and prey. What is clear is that further research on a variety of marine organisms is required to understand the environmental implications of microplastics in more detail and to establish effects in natural populations.

show abstract

Section: Fishmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics in the Marine Environment: Distribution, Interactions and Effects

Lusher

2015

Marine Anthropogenic Litter

359

326

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Following , large numbers of polystyrene pellets were reported from coastal waters in the United Kingdom (Kartar et al 1973(Kartar et al , 1976Morris and Hamilton 1974) where they were ingested by three species of fish and a marine snailfish (Liparis liparis). More than 20 % of juvenile flounder (Platichthys flesus) contained ingested plastics, with up to 30 pellets in some individuals.…”

Section: The Early 1970s-pellets and Other Problems In The North Atlamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fortunately, these point sources were fairly easy to identify and address. By 1975 the incidence of plastic ingestion by fish and snails in the UK's Severn Estuary had fallen to zero, indicating that the release of polystyrene pellets had virtually ceased from the manufacturing plants (Kartar et al 1976). However, spillage of pellets by converters and during transport proved more difficult to contain.…”

Section: The Early 1970s-pellets and Other Problems In The North Atlamentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine Anthropogenic Litter

Bergmann¹,

Gutow²,

Klages³

2015

670

123

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…However, as well as aesthetically distasteful plastic litter, less conspicuous but significantly large quantities of small virgin plastic pellets and granules occur on beaches and in coastal as well as oceanic waters along the eastern seaboard of North America (Austin & Stoops-Glas 1977, Carpenter & Smith 1972, Colton et al 1974, Cundell 1973, Hays & Cormons 1974 and also in the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary, United Kingdom (Kartar et al 1973, Kartar et al 1976, Morris & Hamilton 1974. These pellets also occur in surface waters of the North Pacific (Wong et al 1974) and recently I reported their widespread occurrence on New Zealand beaches (Gregory 1976).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%