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Combined effects of microplastics contamination and marine heatwaves on carbon cycling in coastal marine sediments
Summary
Researchers investigated the combined effects of microplastic contamination and marine heatwaves on carbon cycling processes in coastal marine sediments, examining how co-occurring stressors interact to alter microbial carbon processing. The study found that microplastics and elevated temperatures associated with marine heatwaves produced interactive effects on sediment carbon cycling, demonstrating that these two anthropogenic pressures cannot be adequately assessed in isolation.
Plastic pollution has become one of the most relevant anthropogenic impacts on the marine environment. Microplastics (MPs) pollution and global warming are usually considered and studies as separated threads, while in reality they are closely related. A significant manifestation of heat accumulation on Earth is represented by marine heatwaves (MHWs), which are positive and persistent sea surface temperature anomalies (SST). Previously, it has been documented that either MPs or MHWs have the potential to affect carbon cycling, but effects deriving from the contemporary occurrence of these phenomenon are still unknown. To fulfill this knowledge gap, we conducted a short-term manipulative experiment (21 days) on temperate coastal marine sediments. We tested for possible effects on sedimentary organic matter (OM) quantity, composition, and C degradation rates. We exposed sediments to 0.05 Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/559084/document
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