We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Quantification and characterization of microplastics in surface water samples from the Northeast Atlantic Ocean using laser direct infrared imaging
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers quantified microplastics in Northeast Atlantic Ocean surface waters using laser direct infrared imaging, detecting particles down to 20 micrometers and revealing microplastic concentrations and polymer compositions across eight sampling locations.
15 filtration samples were collected at eight locations onboard the RV Sonne (cruise SO279 in 2020) from 6 m water depth using a fractionated stainless-steel filtration unit. The size fraction > 300 μm was visually examined and potential microplastic particles were analyzed by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The treatment of size class 20 μm < d < 300 μm was based on enzymatic-oxidative microwave-assisted "one-pot" matrix digestion in conjunction with analysis of the microplastics by time-efficient LDIR imaging. Total number concentrations ranged from 47 to 2154 microplastic particles per m3 (average for all stations: 500 ± 700 microplastic particles m-3 (1 SD; n = 8)). In total, 20 polymer types were identified. The most common polymer types were polyethylene terephthalate (20 %) and acrylates/polyurethane/varnish (15 %). 93 % of the detected microplastics were smaller than 100 μm in length. Analysis of sample replicates indicates high spatio-temporal variations in microplastic pollution within the investigated region.
More Papers Like This
Quantification and characterization of microplastics in coastal environments: Insights from laser direct infrared imaging
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers used laser direct infrared imaging to identify and quantify microplastics in sediment and seawater samples from coastal areas in Auckland, New Zealand. The study detected nine common plastic polymer types and demonstrated that this analytical technique provides efficient and accurate characterization of microplastic contamination in environmental samples.
Spatial distribution of microplastics in the tropical Indian Ocean based on laser direct infrared imaging and microwave-assisted matrix digestion
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers characterized microplastic distribution across the tropical Indian Ocean using a new quantum cascade laser imaging method, finding an average concentration of 50 particles per cubic meter at depths of 6 meters. The new analytical approach analyzed up to 1,000 particles per hour with over 97% identification accuracy, enabling faster and more reliable monitoring.
Identification and Quantification of Microplastics in the Marine Environment Using the Laser Direct Infrared (LDIR) Technique
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers evaluated the laser direct infrared (LDIR) technique for identifying and quantifying marine microplastics, demonstrating it as a faster and more automated alternative to conventional FTIR methods with comparable accuracy.
Identification and quantification of microplastics in the Antarctic coastal waters using laser direct infrared (LDIR)
AI summary Read the abstract
This was the first study to detect microplastics smaller than 20 µm in Antarctic surface waters near Carlini Station, using Laser Direct Infrared (LDIR) spectroscopy. Microplastics were found in all 18 samples at a median abundance of approximately 0.1 particles/L, extending the known size range of Antarctic microplastic contamination.
A high-throughput, automated technique for microplastics detection, quantification, and characterization in surface waters using laser direct infrared spectroscopy
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers applied laser direct infrared spectroscopy in a high-throughput automated workflow to detect, quantify, and characterize microplastics in surface water from three urban creeks in Ohio. The method achieved 88.3% recovery and could identify particles as small as 20 micrometers by polymer type, size, and shape without manual intervention.
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.