Indigo-dyed cellulose fibers and synthetic polymers in surface-feeding seabird chick regurgitates from the Gulf of Alaska.
Mar Pollut Bull
; 203: 116401, 2024 Jun.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38713925
ABSTRACT
We provide evidence of anthropogenic materials ingestion in seabirds from a remote oceanic area, using regurgitates obtained from black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) chicks from Middleton Island (Gulf of Alaska, USA). By means of GPS tracking of breeding adults, we identified foraging grounds where anthropogenic materials were most likely ingested. They were mainly located within the continental shelf of the Gulf of Alaska and near the Alaskan coastline. Anthropogenic cellulose fibers showed a high prevalence (85 % occurrence), whereas synthetic polymers (in the micro- and mesoplastics dimensional range) were less frequent (20 %). Most fibers (60 %) were blue and we confirmed the presence of indigo-dyed cellulosic fibers, characteristic of denim fabrics. In terms of mass, contamination levels were 0.077 µg g-1 wet weight and 0.009 µg g-1 wet weight for anthropogenic microfibers and synthetic polymers, respectively. These results represent the only recent report of contamination by anthropogenic fibers in seabirds from the Gulf of Alaska.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Polymers
/
Cellulose
/
Environmental Monitoring
Limits:
Animals
Country/Region as subject:
America do norte
Language:
En
Journal:
Mar Pollut Bull
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article