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Barnacles as emerging sentinels of microplastic contamination: A global synthesis and analytical framing
Summary
Barnacles — the small crustaceans that encrust ship hulls and rocky shores — filter seawater continuously, making them promising sentinels for detecting microplastic pollution levels in the ocean. This global review of 14 field studies across seven countries found that barnacles consistently reflect local microplastic contamination, with fibers and fragments of polyethylene and cellophane being most common. While barnacles show real potential as low-cost monitoring organisms, the authors call for standardized methods to make data from different regions and studies comparable.
Barnacles are filter-feeders of promising performance as sentinels of microplastic contamination, yet their use remains limited. Here, we synthesize field-based evidence on microplastic in barnacles worldwide, proposing analytical standardization to enable their use in environmental monitoring. Fourteen field studies across seven countries reveal pronounced spatiotemporal variability. Fibers and fragments dominated, with polyethylene and cellophane as the prevalent polymers, reflecting distinct regional contamination profiles. Barnacles consistently reflected environmental microplastic conditions, capturing both elevated and low contamination regimes. Reaching 184.1 particles g-1, Japan and Iran are potential hotspots. However, a global overview of barnacle-based assessments remains limited due to analytical heterogeneity and geographical monitoring gaps. Key methodological priorities for future research include standardizing rigorous quality control, biometrics, digestion, filtration, and multi-matrix integration. Barnacles may be robust sentinels, capable of enhancing the spatiotemporal and ecological representativeness of global microplastic monitoring frameworks.