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From mesenteric lymph nodes to the rest of the body: Microplastic translocation and accumulation in subsistence harvested eastern Chukchi Sea beluga whales
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This study examined beluga whales caught for subsistence food in the eastern Chukchi Sea, looking at microplastics in their lymph nodes and other body tissues. Researchers studied whether tiny plastic particles move from the gut into the lymph system and spread to other parts of the body.
Beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) are good sentinels to monitor Arctic ecosystem status due to their longevity, and high trophic, generalist diet. Microplastics (MPs), plastic particles between 1 𝛍m and 5 mm in size, are an emerging contaminant of global concern. Here, we ...
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Microplastics in beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from the Eastern Beaufort Sea
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Researchers partnered with Inuvialuit hunters in Canada's Northwest Territories to examine microplastic contamination in beluga whales from the Eastern Beaufort Sea. They found microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract of every whale sampled, with an average of 97 particles per individual and polyester fibers being the most common type. The diversity of plastic polymers and shapes found points to multiple contamination sources reaching even remote Arctic marine ecosystems.
Microplastics in beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) prey: An exploratory assessment of trophic transfer in the Beaufort Sea
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Researchers examined microplastic contamination in five fish species that are prey for beluga whales in the eastern Beaufort Sea of the Arctic. They found microplastics in 21% of fish examined, predominantly fibers, and estimated that individual beluga whales may ingest between 3,800 and 145,000 microplastic particles annually through their diet.
Microplastics in the Beaufort Sea Beluga Food Web
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Researchers examined the stomachs of seven beluga whales harvested in Arctic Canada and found microplastics in all of them. This is among the first studies documenting microplastic ingestion in cetaceans and raises concern about plastic contamination reaching top predators in remote Arctic food webs.
Microplastics in subsistence harvested bowhead whale stomach, colon, and muscle
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Researchers analyzed microplastics in stomach, colon, and muscle tissues from bowhead whales harvested by Alaska Natives for subsistence, aiming to characterize contamination in this ecologically and culturally important Arctic species. Microplastics were present across all sampled tissue types, raising concerns for both whale health and human dietary exposure through traditional harvesting.
Microplastics in marine mammal blubber, melon, & other tissues: Evidence of translocation
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Scientists found microplastics in the blubber, melon (a fatty organ in the head), and other deep tissues of marine mammals -- not just in their stomachs. This is the first evidence that ingested microplastics can move from the gut into internal organs in marine mammals, likely aided by the animals' lipid-rich tissues. Since marine mammals sit at the top of the food chain, this demonstrates how microplastics can accumulate and spread through an entire ecosystem, including into seafood consumed by humans.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.