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Examining Two Methods of Identifying Potential Microplastic Inclusions in Agglutinated Species of Foraminifera
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Researchers tested two methods to identify whether foraminifera — tiny single-celled marine organisms — incorporate microplastics into their shells when building them from sediment particles. If confirmed, foraminifera could serve as a long-term biological record of microplastic contamination in ocean sediments going back decades.
Foraminifera are single-celled organisms found in marine environments that play...
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Exploration of SEM and Raman Analytical Techniques to Determine Microplastic Incorporation in Foraminifera
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Researchers used scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy to investigate whether foraminifera — single-celled marine organisms that build shells from ambient particles — incorporate microplastics into their agglutinated shells as a proxy for environmental contamination. Foraminifera that incorporate microplastics provide a novel biological archive for reconstructing historical microplastic contamination in marine sediment records, enabling long-term trend reconstruction.
A Quantitative Analysis of Microplastic Ingestion in Northern New York Bivalves
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Researchers quantified microplastic ingestion in bivalves collected from northern New York waterways, measuring particle counts and types across multiple species. Bivalves are filter feeders that bioaccumulate microplastics directly from their environment, making them both sentinels of freshwater contamination and a dietary exposure route for humans who consume shellfish.
Temporal Bioindication of Microplastics by the Asian Clam, C. Fluminea
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Monthly sampling of Asian clams over seven months revealed that 84% of specimens contained microplastics, with concentrations inversely correlated with stream discharge, suggesting clams reflect microplastic storage during dry periods and export during floods. These results support the Asian clam as a useful temporal bioindicator for microplastic pollution, offering a biological monitoring tool that captures seasonal variability in contamination levels.
Microplastics: What Can We Learn from Clastic Sediments?
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An interdisciplinary review compared microplastics to natural clastic sediments, drawing on decades of sedimentology research to better understand microplastic transport, deposition, and environmental fate. Applying established sediment science frameworks to microplastics research could accelerate understanding of how these particles move through ecosystems and ultimately reach human food and water supplies.
Developing a Reliable Method for Separating Microplastics from a Variety of Beach Sediments
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Researchers tested and refined a method for separating microplastics from beach sediments using dry sieving combined with density separation, finding that treating different sediment size fractions separately improved recovery and reduced filter clogging, making it easier to detect microplastics across a wide range of particle sizes.
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