We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Assessment of the total microplastic stock in the eastern red sea
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers assessed microplastic distribution in the Eastern Red Sea from the Farasan Islands to the Gulf of Aqaba during the 2022 Red Sea Decade Expedition, collecting 60 sediment core samples via remotely operated vehicle and 145 water column samples across bathypelagic, mesopelagic, and epipelagic layers. The study addressed a major data gap for this underinvestigated but ecologically significant region with rapidly expanding urbanisation and tourism.
The Red Sea received limited attention in terms of plastic pollution research compared to other areas and vital shipping routes. With rapidly increasing urbanization and tourism development in the region and the upcoming international legally binding mechanisms to mitigate plastic pollution, it is essential to examine the level, distribution, and potential effects of plastics in the unique Red Sea ecosystem. Sediment and water column samples were collected in the Eastern Red Sea, from the Farasan Islands to the Gulf of Aqaba, during the Red Sea Decade Expedition (RSDE) between February and June 2022. Sixty sediment samples were collected using cores installed on the remotely operated vehicle. One hundred forty-five water column samples were collected using a CTD-rosette sampler with installed automatically closing bottle-net devices containing a 20-µm nylon mesh. Independent bathy-, meso-, and epipelagic layer samples were obtained by vertical hauls of the rosette. The samples were processed in the laboratory, and the post-treatment residue was collected on glass microfiber filters. After visual identification and manual collection of suspected microplastics, the particles were subjected to Raman spectroscopy. Preliminary results showed the prevalence of fibers (57 Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/556724/document
More Papers Like This
Assessment of the total microplastic stock in the eastern red sea
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers assessed the total microplastic stock in the eastern Red Sea by collecting sediment and water column samples from the Farasan area, addressing the limited attention this region has received despite rapid urbanization, tourism development, and critical shipping routes. The study characterized microplastic levels, distribution patterns, and polymer types in a unique marine ecosystem ahead of new international plastic pollution regulations.
Plastic pollution in the Red Sea: A comprehensive analysis from the air to the seafloor
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers conducted a comprehensive assessment of plastic pollution across multiple environmental compartments of the Red Sea — including surface water, the water column, and deep-sea sediments — finding that deep-sea sediments hold up to 80% of microplastics in the basin and that subsurface water layers act as significant reservoirs, complicating global microplastic load estimates based solely on surface water data.
Microplastics in sediments and fish from the Red Sea coast at Jeddah (Saudi Arabia)
AI summary Read the abstract
Microplastics were found in nearshore sediments at all sampled stations along the Jeddah coast of Saudi Arabia's Red Sea, and in about half of 140 sampled fish. The findings demonstrate that even the Red Sea — an important but less-studied ocean region — is experiencing widespread microplastic contamination.
Microplastic in the marine environment of the Red Sea – A short review
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers review the growing body of evidence on microplastic pollution in the Red Sea, where studies conducted over the past five years reveal significant contamination in the water, sediments, and marine life. This matters because the Red Sea supports major fisheries and tourism, and microplastics that accumulate in seafood can ultimately reach humans who eat it.
Microplastic Composition and Distribution Across the Pelagic and Benthic Zones of the Jordanian Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers sampled microplastics at multiple depths in the Gulf of Aqaba — from surface waters down to 840-meter-deep seafloor sediments — and found that particle size decreased with depth while fiber shapes dominated in open water and fragments accumulated on the seafloor. Concentrations reached nearly 7 particles per liter at the surface and 2,900 particles per kilogram of sediment. The study provides a baseline for monitoring this relatively understudied part of the Red Sea, which is important for regional fisheries and coral reef health.
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.