Microplastics adn biodiversity profile of UK coastal waters from 4-year monitoring study

Waste mismanagement, lack of end-of-life planning and longevity of plastic materials have led to the mass introduction of small synthetic particles to marine ecosystems, the ecological risk of which needs to be evaluated. In the UK, poor understanding of the spatiotemporal dynamics of microplastics, a lack of reporting of relative loads of microplastics to other environmental particles and to marine organisms, and under-representation of the smaller size fractions hinder ecological risk assessment. Further, high costs of marine field research limit monitoring capacity. A 4-year partnership between the University of Portsmouth and GB Row Challenge is attempting to alleviate these obstacles for the UK through "marine recreation with a purpose", an emerging branch of marine citizen science, enabling the large-scale and annual sampling of seawater for microplastics down to 40 microns in size. Initial findings from 27 sampling sites spread around Great Britain (average MP concentration: 20 MPs/m3; range: 0-121 MPs/m3) indicate much larger loads than previously found for larger microplastics, but similar spatiotemporal heterogeneity. Further samples, coupled with meteorological, hydrographic and demographic data will contribute to identifying factors behind this variability. Moreover, the project aims to integrate observations of biodiversity through co-occuring sampling for environmental DNA and underwater sound, shedding light on important yet currently unknown relationships between microplastics and organisms at the ecosystem level, in turn informing policy and environmental management for healthier seas. Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/559757/document