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Evolution of the Distribution and Dynamic of Microplastic in Water and Biota: A Study Case From the Gulf of Gabes (Southern Mediterranean Sea)

Frontiers in Marine Science 2022 23 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 40 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Sana Ben Ismail, Francesca Garaventa Silvia Morgana, Francesca Garaventa Francesca Garaventa Silvia Morgana, Héla Jaziri, Silvia Morgana, Silvia Morgana, Silvia Morgana, Silvia Morgana, Alessio Montarsolo, Silvia Morgana, Silvia Morgana, Silvia Morgana, Silvia Morgana, Silvia Morgana, Silvia Morgana, Elisa Costa, Elisa Costa, Elisa Costa, Elisa Costa, Silvia Morgana, Silvia Morgana, Alessio Montarsolo, Silvia Morgana, Héla Jaziri, Elisa Costa, Sana Ben Ismail, Elisa Costa, Elisa Costa, Silvia Morgana, Silvia Morgana, Silvia Morgana, Silvia Morgana, Silvia Morgana, Silvia Morgana, Alessio Montarsolo, Alessio Montarsolo, Francesca Garaventa Sana Ben Ismail, Sana Ben Ismail, Roberta Minetti, Roberta Minetti, Roberta Minetti, Roberta Minetti, Héla Jaziri, Elisa Costa, Silvia Morgana, Héla Jaziri, Elisa Costa, Héla Jaziri, Francesca Garaventa Héla Jaziri, Francesca Garaventa Héla Jaziri, Francesca Garaventa Roberta Minetti, Héla Jaziri, Alessio Montarsolo, Francesca Garaventa Francesca Garaventa Silvia Morgana, Alessio Montarsolo, Silvia Morgana, Elisa Costa, Elisa Costa, Marco Faimali, Marco Faimali, Marco Faimali, Silvia Morgana, Alessio Montarsolo, Marco Faimali, Roberta Minetti, Alessio Montarsolo, Alessio Montarsolo, Francesca Garaventa Moncef Boukthir, Silvia Morgana, Alessio Montarsolo, Roberta Minetti, Alessio Montarsolo, Moncef Boukthir, Moncef Boukthir, Marco Faimali, Marco Faimali, Marco Faimali, Marco Faimali, Francesca Garaventa Marco Faimali, Sana Ben Ismail, Elisa Costa, Alessio Montarsolo, Francesca Garaventa Silvia Morgana, Francesca Garaventa Alessio Montarsolo, Marco Faimali, Riccardo Narizzano, Mohamed Anis Ben Ismail, Mohamed Anis Ben Ismail, Mohamed Anis Ben Ismail, Mohamed Anis Ben Ismail, Alessio Montarsolo, Roberta Minetti, Francesca Garaventa Elisa Costa, Marco Faimali, Francesca Garaventa Elisa Costa, Alessio Montarsolo, Marco Faimali, Francesca Garaventa Francesca Garaventa Francesca Garaventa Francesca Garaventa Silvia Morgana, Francesca Garaventa Francesca Garaventa Francesca Garaventa Roberta Minetti, Roberta Minetti, Roberta Minetti, Marco Faimali, Riccardo Narizzano, Riccardo Narizzano, Marco Faimali, Francesca Garaventa Francesca Garaventa Alessio Montarsolo, Francesca Garaventa Alessio Montarsolo, Marco Faimali, Marco Faimali, Marco Faimali, Francesca Garaventa Marco Faimali, Sana Ben Ismail, Sana Ben Ismail, Alessio Montarsolo, Marco Faimali, Francesca Garaventa Marco Faimali, Marco Faimali, Marco Faimali, Riccardo Narizzano, Riccardo Narizzano, Marco Faimali, Sana Ben Ismail, Francesca Garaventa Francesca Garaventa Francesca Garaventa Francesca Garaventa Chérif Sammari, Chérif Sammari, Marco Faimali, Marco Faimali, Marco Faimali, Marco Faimali, Marco Faimali, Francesca Garaventa Francesca Garaventa Alessio Montarsolo, Francesca Garaventa Francesca Garaventa Francesca Garaventa Francesca Garaventa Marco Faimali, Francesca Garaventa Francesca Garaventa Marco Faimali, Marco Faimali, Francesca Garaventa Francesca Garaventa

Summary

Researchers found microplastics in all surface water samples and in the digestive tracts of multiple commercially important marine species in the Gulf of Gabes, Southern Mediterranean, revealing widespread contamination in a previously understudied region.

Marine plastic pollution represents a major problem owing to its increasing presence in the environment, persistence and ability to spread in every compartment in the form of small plastic particles, namely microplastics (MPs). Studies concerning MPs abundance in the Mediterranean Sea are growing, but their occurrence in the Southern regions remains largely unexplored. In this study, distribution, abundance, size, and polymer type of microplastics were investigated in surface water samples collected with a Manta net (200 μm mesh size) and in 118 marine specimens of commercial interests, including fishes, crustaceans, and mollusks, during Spring and Autumn 2019 EU H2020 Claim Project sampling Campaigns in the Gulf of Gabes (Southern Mediterranean Sea). Laboratory characterization showed significant plastic pollution concentrations, with an average abundance of 312,887 and 77,110 items/km 2 in surface water samples collected in Spring and Autumn, respectively. A 3D hydrodynamic and Tracking Model was used to identify dispersal and transport pathways of the floating plastics, reporting a seasonal variability observed in MPs distribution between I (Spring) and II Campaign (Autumn). Despite the high values of MPs abundance found in surface water samples, an overall low frequency of ingestion among studied species was observed, with a maximum value of 20% of individuals (in Scomber scombrus ) found with ingested MPs. The present study contributes to expand our state of knowledge regarding MPs pollution level in water and biota samples collected in the Gulf of Gabes, an area of particular interest for its biological resources, but still little investigated.

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