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Unraveling the Marine Microplastic Cycle: The First Simultaneous Data Set for Air, Sea Surface Microlayer, and Underlying Water
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Researchers simultaneously sampled air, the sea surface microlayer, and underlying water in Swedish fjords to map microplastic distribution across the marine-atmospheric boundary for the first time. They found tire wear particles predominantly in the surface microlayer, while poly(methyl methacrylate) clusters dominated deeper water. The study shows that microplastic levels were higher in urban and industrial fjord areas compared to rural ones, and that polymer distribution patterns are influenced by both particle characteristics and environmental conditions.
Microplastics (MP) including tire wear particles (TWP) are ubiquitous. However, their mass loads, transport, and vertical behavior in water bodies and overlying air are never studied simultaneously before. Particularly, the sea surface microlayer (SML), a ubiquitous, predominantly organic, and gelatinous film (<1 mm), is interesting since it may favor MP enrichment. In this study, a remote-controlled research catamaran simultaneously sampled air, SML, and underlying water (ULW) in Swedish fjords of variable anthropogenic impacts (urban, industrial, and rural) to fill these knowledge gaps in the marine-atmospheric MP cycle. Polymer clusters and TWP were identified and quantified with pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Air samples contained clusters of polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, and polystyrene (max 50 ng MP m-3). In water samples (max. 10.8 μg MP L-1), mainly TWP and clusters of poly(methyl methacrylate) and polyethylene terephthalate occurred. Here, TWP prevailed in the SML, while the poly(methyl methacrylate) cluster dominated the ULW. However, no general MP enrichment was observed in the SML. Elevated anthropogenic influences in urban and industrial compared to the rural fjord areas were reflected by enhanced MP levels in these areas. Vertical MP movement behavior and distribution were not only linked to polymer characteristics but also to polymer sources and environmental conditions.
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