Sources and Pathways of Microplastics to Habitats

Browne, Mark A. Oakley

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-16510-3_9

Cited by 197 publications

(140 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…This phenomenon has been observed in other sediment analyses (MONAS, 2014;Woodall et al, 2015;Zobkov and Esiukova, 2017). Browne (2015) suggests microplastic fibers found in marine habitats may be derived from sewage as consequence of washing clothes. Furthermore, up to 1,770 microplastics have been reporting to leave a waste water treatment plant in effluent water per hour (Magnusson and Norén, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Microplastic Distribution at Different Sediment Depths in an Urban Estuary

et al. 2017

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As plastic production increases, so to do the threats from plastic pollution. Microplastics (defined as plastics <5 mm) are a subset of marine debris about which we know less than we do of larger debris items, though they are potentially ubiquitous in the marine environment. To quantify the distribution and change in microplastic densities through time, we sampled sediment cores from an estuary in Tasmania, Australia. We hypothesized that the type, distribution and abundance of microplastics observed would be associated with increasing plastic production, coastal population growth, and proximity to urban water outflows and local hydrodynamics. Sediments ranging from the year 1744 to 2004 were sub-sampled from each core. We observed microplastics in every sample, with greater plastic frequencies found in the upper (more recent) sediments. This time trend of microplastic accumulation matched that of global plastic production and coastal population growth. We observed that fibers were the most abundant type of microplastic in our samples. These fibers were present in sediments that settled prior to the presence of plastics in the environment. We propose a simple statistical model to estimate the level of contamination in our samples. We suggest that the current trend in the literature suggesting very high loads of fibers, particularly in remote locations such as the deep seafloor, may be largely due to contamination.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Microplastic Distribution at Different Sediment Depths in an Urban Estuary

et al. 2017

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“…Sources of litter can be characterised in several ways (see also Browne 2015). One common method is to classify marine litter sources as either landbased or ocean-based, depending on where the litter entered the sea.…”

Section: Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some 'degradable' plastics are even designed to fragment quickly into small particles, however, the resulting material does not necessarily biodegrade (Roy et al 2011). The various sources of microplastics and the pathways into the oceans are summarized in detail by Browne (2015).…”

Section: Microplasticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Distribution, Composition and Abundance of Marine Litter

Galgani

Hanke

Maes

2015

Marine Anthropogenic Litter

445

338

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Marine debris is commonly observed everywhere in the oceans. Litter enters the seas from both land-based sources, from ships and other installations at sea, from point and diffuse sources, and can travel long distances before being stranded. Plastics typically constitute the most important part of marine litter sometimes accounting for up to 100 % of floating litter. On beaches, most studies have demonstrated densities in the 1 item m −2 range except for very high concentrations because of local conditions, after typhoons or flooding events. Floating marine debris ranges from 0 to beyond 600 items km −2 . On the sea bed, the abundance of plastic debris is very dependent on location, with densities ranging from 0 to >7700 items km −2 , mainly in coastal areas. Recent studies have demonstrated that pollution of microplastics, particles <5 mm, has spread at the surface of oceans, in the water column and in sediments, even in the deep sea. Concentrations at the water surface ranged from thousands to hundred thousands of particles km −2 . Fluxes vary widely with factors such as proximity of urban activities, shore and coastal uses, wind and ocean currents. These enable the presence of accumulation areas in oceanic convergence zones and on the seafloor, notably in coastal canyons. Temporal trends are not clear with evidences for increases, decreases or without changes, depending on locations and environmental conditions. In terms of distribution and quantities, proper global estimations based on standardized approaches are still needed before considering efficient management and reduction measures.

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“…However, with an ever increasing reliance on plastic products, and as plastic production, use and disposal continue, microplastics are of increasing concern (Sutherland et al 2010). Microplastics enter the sea from a variety of sources (Browne 2015) and distributed by oceans currents; these ubiquitous contaminants are widespread (Cózar et al 2014). The amount of microplastics in the sea will continue to rise, leading to gradual but significant accumulation in coastal and marine environments (Andrady and Neal 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics in the Marine Environment: Distribution, Interactions and Effects

Lusher

2015

Marine Anthropogenic Litter

363

326

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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.

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Sources and Pathways of Microplastics to Habitats

Cited by 197 publications

References 49 publications

Microplastic Distribution at Different Sediment Depths in an Urban Estuary

Microplastic Distribution at Different Sediment Depths in an Urban Estuary

Global Distribution, Composition and Abundance of Marine Litter

Microplastics in the Marine Environment: Distribution, Interactions and Effects

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