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Article ? AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button. Tier 2 ? Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence. Environmental Sources Marine & Wildlife Policy & Risk Sign in to save

A Microplastic Pollution Hotspot: Elevated Levels in Sediments from the San Francisco Bay Area

Environments 2024 6 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Lara Dronjak, Joaquim Rovira, Diana Lin, June-Soo Park, Sutapa Ghosal, Nora Expósito, Marta Schuhmacher, Jordi Sierra

Summary

Sediment samples from San Francisco Bay revealed elevated microplastic concentrations across sites, with polymer types and morphologies consistent with local urban runoff and atmospheric deposition sources.

Study Type Environmental

San Francisco Bay’s sediment is currently monitored for a variety of contaminants; however, data regarding the microplastics (MPs) in the area are still scarce. MPs’ occurrence in sediment samples has gained recognition as a reservoir for MP accumulation. Moreover, Bay sediment is also an important matrix for monitoring because sediment tends to accumulate certain contaminants and act as a source of contaminants in the Bay food web. This study analyzed MPs ranging from 25 µm to 5 mm in surface sediment grab samples (n = 8) and two sediment core samples (n = 2 cores analyzed with 11 samples from different depths). Our findings provide an evaluation of MP levels in different regions of the bay. The MP levels detected in Bay surface grab samples ranged from 2.1 to 11.9 MPs/g dry weight (n = 8), with a mean value of 6.2 MPs/g. The most abundant morphology was fibers, followed by fragments and films.

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