We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Microplastics in the maximum chlorophyll layer along a north-south transect in the Mediterranean Sea in comparison with zooplankton concentrations
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers sampled the deep chlorophyll maximum layer of the western Mediterranean Sea and found microplastics at every station, with 96% of particles being fibres and most associated with marine aggregates (marine snow). The high fibre concentrations at depth suggest that interactions with sinking organic particles play an important but under-studied role in transporting microplastics through the water column to the seafloor.
The aim of this study was to characterize and quantify microplastics (MPs) at the chlorophyll maximum layer (CML), around 30 to 60 m depth, during a cruise dedicated to the study of contaminants in plankton, the MERITE-HIPPOCAMPE project, along a north-south transect in the western Mediterranean Sea (Tedetti et al., 2023). Plankton were collected by horizontal net tows in this layer using a multinet Hydrobios Midi equipped with 60 μm mesh-size nets. The collected plankton were fractionated through a sieve column for various later contaminant measurements and for zooplankton analysis (Fierro-González et al., 2023). For all stations, samples were also fully examined for microplastics (MPs) for fractions >300 μm. MPs were found at all stations in the CML layer (mean: 42.9 ± 45.4 MPs m), of which 96 ± 4 % were fibers. The ratios of mesozooplankton/MPs and detritus/MPs in this CML were respectively 223 ± 315 and 2544 ± 2268. These data are analyzed together with MPs concentrations from sea- surface sampled with a 300 μm net-size Manta net at the same stations. Overall, our observations highlight the very high density of fibers at the CML, mainly associated with aggregates, raising the hypothesis of their interactions with marine snow. Therefore, the importance of marine snow and vertical layering will have to be considered in future MP distribution modelling efforts.
More Papers Like This
Ubiquitous vertical distribution of microfibers within the upper epipelagic layer of the western Mediterranean Sea
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists found tiny plastic fibers scattered throughout the upper 50 meters of seawater in the western Mediterranean, not just floating on the surface, as most previous research has focused on. These microfibers, mostly smaller than 2mm and made from common plastics like polyethylene and polypropylene, were present at similar levels whether the water was in a protected marine area or not. Since this is the same water zone where fish and other marine life feed and grow, these findings suggest sea creatures throughout the water column, not just at the surface, may be exposed to plastic particles that could eventually make their way up the food chain to humans.
An evaluation of surface micro- and mesoplastic pollution in pelagic ecosystems of the Western Mediterranean Sea
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that micro- and mesoplastic debris were widely and uniformly distributed across the Western Mediterranean Sea, with average surface concentrations of approximately 130,000 microplastic particles per km2 and 5,700 mesoplastic particles per km2. Fragment morphology and polymer composition analysis indicated a predominantly land-based origin for the debris.
Role of Marine Snows in Microplastic Fate and Bioavailability
AI summary Read the abstract
Laboratory experiments demonstrated that marine snow — organic aggregates formed naturally in the ocean — can incorporate microplastics and transport them from surface waters toward the seafloor. The findings provide a physical mechanism explaining how buoyant microplastics sink to become a major component of seafloor sediment pollution.
Breaking the paradigm: Marine sediments hold two-fold microplastics than sea surface waters and are dominated by fibers
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that Mediterranean marine sediments contain approximately twice the microplastic concentration of sea surface waters, with fibers dominating across all habitats, challenging the paradigm that surface waters are the primary marine microplastic reservoir.
An approach for extraction, characterization and quantitation of microplastic in natural marine snow using Raman microscopy
AI summary Read the abstract
This study demonstrated that marine snow — the organic aggregates that sink continuously through the ocean — incorporates microplastics and transports them toward the seafloor. The finding identifies biological particle aggregation as an important mechanism for removing microplastics from the upper ocean and depositing them in deep-sea sediments.
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.