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Contamination of sea surface water offshore the Tokai region and Tokyo Bay in Japan by small microplastics
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Surface water off the Tokai region and within Tokyo Bay, Japan, was sampled with a nested net system distinguishing small microplastics (under 350 micrometers) from larger microplastics. Small microplastic concentrations were 20 to 60 times higher than larger ones, with concentrations up to 5,900 pieces per cubic meter in Tokyo Bay's inner waters.
A nested double neuston net was prepared and used to collect samples from the surface of coastal waters around Japan to obtain information about the properties of both small microplastics (SMPs; <350 μm) and large microplastics (LMPs; >350 μm). The SMP concentrations ranged from 1000 to 5900 pieces m-3 in the open ocean and averaged approximately 3000 pieces m-3 in the inner part of Tokyo Bay. The SMP concentrations were around 20-60 times greater than the LMP concentrations. By analyzing the seawater, we obtained a microplastic size distribution that spanned 50-5000 μm. The LMPs mainly comprised packaging-related plastics, such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene, while the SMPs were dominated by paint-related plastics. SMPs derived from packaging materials (e.g., PE) may have gradually sank down from the sea surface when they were smaller than 600 μm.
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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.