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Evaluation of microplastic pollution and risk assessment in a tropical monsoonal estuary, with special emphasis on contamination in jellyfish
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This study examined microplastic pollution in a tropical monsoon estuary with special focus on contamination in jellyfish, finding microplastics in both the water and jellyfish tissue across sampling sites. The results highlight estuaries as hotspots for microplastic accumulation and jellyfish as novel indicators of contamination.
Estuaries, which serve as vital links between land and coastal ecosystems, play a significant part in facilitating the transfer of plastic waste from the land to the ocean. In this research, we examined the prevalence, characteristics, and ecological risks of microplastics (MPs) in the extensively urbanized Cochin Estuarine System (CES), India. Additionally, it represents one of the initial evidence-based examinations of MPs ingestion by jellyfish in Indian waters, focusing on Acromitus flagellatus, Blackfordia virginica, and Pleurobrachia pileus species. The abundance of MPs found in the surface water of the Cochin Estuarine System (CES) varied between 14.44 ± 9 to 30 ± 15.94 MP/m, with an average of 21.6 ± 11 MP/m. In both surface waters and jellyfish from the Cochin Estuarine System (CES), fibers were the most prevalent type of MPs, with polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polyamide (PA) being the most common polymer varieties. To evaluate the current levels of MPs and their effect on the CES, the Pollution Load Index (PLI), Potential Ecological Risk Index (PERI), and Polymeric Risk Index (H) were utilized. The high PLI values (20.33), high H values (234.02), and extreme PERI value (1646.06) indicate that the CES is facing an extreme ecological risk. Among the 280 jellyfish individuals examined, 118 (42.14%) were recognized to contain MPs with an average of 1.54 ± 2.68 MPs/individual. Pearson bivariate analysis revealed a significant correlation between the jellyfish bell size and number of plastics per individual. Comparison between jellyfish species revealed, the majority (66%) of the MPs identified in jellyfish were from A. flagellatus and 44 among the 50 jellyfish examined (88%) had MPs. These findings suggest that A. flagellatus may be a potential sink for MPs and may be utilized to be a bioindicator for monitoring MPs contamination in estuarine systems, aiding in future plastic pollution mitigation efforts.
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Microplastic pollution and its implicated risks in the estuarine environment of Tamil Nadu, India
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Researchers investigated microplastic pollution across 19 estuaries in Tamil Nadu, India, measuring contamination in water, sediment, and marine organisms. They found microplastic levels were higher during monsoon season due to stormwater discharge, and estimated that local residents may ingest approximately 781 microplastic items through fish and 2,809 through shellfish annually. The study suggests that estuarine microplastic pollution poses meaningful human exposure risks through seafood consumption.
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Researchers sampled water and sediment across seven sites along the Palar River estuary in southeast India, finding that fiber-shaped high-density polyethylene microplastics dominate, likely originating from fishing gear and industrial discharge. The study establishes a contamination baseline for a multi-source river system, highlighting how riverine environments serve as highways transporting plastic pollution from inland industrial and agricultural sources into coastal marine ecosystems.
Assessment of microplastics in discharged treated wastewater and the utility of Chrysaora pentastoma medusae as bioindicators of microplastics
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Researchers tested whether jellyfish could serve as biological indicators of microplastic pollution in treated wastewater, finding that jellyfish in wastewater-receiving water contained more microplastics than those in cleaner water. The results support their use as bioindicators of plastic pollution levels.
Evidence of microplastics from benthic jellyfish (Cassiopea xamachana) in Florida estuaries
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Researchers documented microplastic ingestion in the benthic upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana across three south Florida estuaries, finding that 77% of 115 specimens contained microplastics identified by micro-FTIR analysis. The study establishes that benthic jellyfish are exposed to and ingest microplastics in nearshore coastal environments, with bell diameter correlating with MP load.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.