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Microplastics in surface coastal waters around Plymouth, UK, and the contribution of boating and shipping activities

The Science of The Total Environment 2023 40 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 50 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Chloé Higgins, Chloé Higgins, Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Chloé Higgins, Chloé Higgins, Chloé Higgins, Chloé Higgins, Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Andrew Turner

Summary

Researchers found microplastic concentrations in coastal surface waters around Plymouth, UK ranged from 0.26 to 0.68 particles per cubic meter, with higher levels near urban estuaries and evidence that boating and shipping activities contribute to localized microplastic pollution.

Polymers

Microplastics determined in surface water trawls from coastal waters around Plymouth, southwest England, ranged from 0.26 to 0.68 n m<sup>-3</sup>, with a decrease evident from the lower estuaries of the Tamar and Plym to areas in Plymouth Sound more remote from urbanisation. Microplastics were dominated by fibres of rayon and polypropylene and fragments of polyester and epoxy resins, with fragment concentration demonstrating a significant and positive linear relationship with concentration of floating and suspended matter retrieved by the trawls. Observations are attributed to the suspension of land-based (e.g., treated municipal waste) sources of textile fibres, and the flotation of land-based and in situ emissions of paints and resins from boating and shipping activities. The implied decoupling of microplastic transport based on shape and origin merits further investigation while the more general determination of floating and suspended matter concentration in microplastic studies is recommended.

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