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A deposition baseline for microplastic particle distribution in an estuary
Summary
Researchers extracted and analyzed microplastics from archived sediment cores in the Great Bay Estuary, New Hampshire, finding that microplastic accumulation increased over time in proportion to national plastic production trends. The sediment record provides direct evidence linking plastic pollution to the trajectory of industrial plastic production since the 1950s.
We extracted and analyzed microplastics (MP) in archived sediment cores from Great Bay Estuary (GBE) in the Gulf of Maine region of North America. Results indicated that MP are distributed in GBE sediments, 0-30 cm, at an average occurrence of 116 ± 21 particles g-1 and that morphology varies by site and depth. Analysis by sediment depth and age class indicated that MP accumulation increased over several decades but recently (5-10 years) has likely begun to decrease. Hydrodynamic and particle transport modeling indicated that bed characteristics are a more controlling factor in MP distribution than typical MP properties and that the highest accumulation likely occurs in regions with weaker hydrodynamic flows and lower bed shear stress, e.g., eelgrass meadows and along fringes of the Bay. These results provide a baseline and predictive understanding of the occurrence, morphology, and sedimentation of MP in the estuary.