We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Occurrence and spatial distribution of microplastics in the surface waters of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga
Summary
Microplastic abundance and composition were compared between the Gulf of Riga and the Eastern Gotland Basin of the Baltic Sea, with higher concentrations in the Gulf of Riga near river mouths and urban coasts, and polypropylene and polyethylene dominating the polymer composition at most sites.
The study is comparing microplastic debris distribution and composition in the Gulf of Riga and the Eastern Gotland Basin, Baltic Sea. Samples from 44 stations were collected from coastal and open water sites using Manta trawl (mesh size 300 μm). The natural organic material was digested sequentially with sodium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide and enzymes. Thereafter, micro-debris (16,315 particles) was identified by visual analysis and 5285 particles were analyzed with Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy method. The abundance of particles varied from 0.09 to 4.43 particles per m-3. The fibers accounted for 66.1% of all encountered particles while the fragments for 30.2%. The predominant polymer types were polyethylene (77.9%) and polypropylene (11.1%). The relative proportion among polymer types varied considerably from station to station. The encountered concentrations of micro-debris were well in range of values reported from other regions of the Baltic Sea.