Abundance and distribution of large microplastics (1–5 mm) within beach sediments at the Po River Delta, northeast Italy
| Autor: | Elizabeth C. Atwood, Veronika Mitterwallner, Mathias Bochow, Christian Laforsch, Sarah Piehl |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Microplastics Geologic Sediments Wind 010501 environmental sciences Aquatic Science Oceanography 01 natural sciences High tide Bathing Beaches Dry weight Rivers Abundance (ecology) Spectroscopy Fourier Transform Infrared 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Waste Products geography Particle properties River delta geography.geographical_feature_category 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology Pollution Debris Deposition (aerosol physics) Italy Environmental science Polystyrenes Water Pollutants Chemical Environmental Monitoring |
| Zdroj: | Marine Pollution Bulletin |
| Popis: | Coastal areas are especially prone to plastic debris, being subjected to various land- and sea-based sources. Nevertheless, knowledge about microplastic distribution on beaches is limited, as studies focused either on high tide lines, specific items, or relied on visual identification. Beaches exhibit several accumulation zones and microplastic deposition depends on particle properties. We thus studied microplastic distribution (1–5 mm), including various types and shapes, among three driftlines at three beaches within the Po River Delta. Particles were analyzed using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Abundances ranged from 2.92 (± 4.86 SD) to 23.30 (± 45.43 SD) microplastics per kilogram dry weight between the beaches. The accumulation of microplastics among driftlines showed no consistent pattern, besides expanded polystyrene tending to accumulate backshore. We observed that accumulation hotspots within a single driftline can disrupt a general observed accumulation pattern. Thus, microplastic monitoring guidelines should further include protocols for the handling of accumulation hotspots within datasets. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|