From the Caribbean to the Arctic, the most abundant microplastic particles in the ocean have escaped detection.
Mar Pollut Bull
; 202: 116338, 2024 May.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38640763
ABSTRACT
Comprehensive methodologies for monitoring microplastics (MPs) in the ocean are critical for accurately assessing abundances across a broad size spectrum, and to document distributions, sources, sinks, temporal trends, and exposure risks for organisms. Discrete 0.5-L water samples from the northeastern-coast of Venezuela (NECV), Pacific-Arctic Ocean (PAO), and Gulf Stream Current (GSC) were analyzed by Raman microspectroscopy to detect MPs not captured by net-tow surveys. Equivalent spherical diameters (ESD) of most MPs were <5 µm, accounting for 68, 83, 86 % of total inventories in NECV, GSC, PAO samples. We did not observe a single MP particle >53 µm ESD. Abundances of MPs in the 0.5-200 µm size fraction were 5-6 orders of magnitude higher than previous surveys that were almost exclusively based on net tow collections of MPs > 300 µm ESD. Abundances of MPs in NECV samples were ~10-fold higher than those from PAO and GSC. The most abundant polymers were polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), consistent with composition of plastic waste generated globally.
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Texto completo:
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Poluentes Químicos da Água
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Monitoramento Ambiental
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Microplásticos
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Mar Pollut Bull
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article