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Polymer types ingested by northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) and southern hemisphere relatives
Environmental Science and Pollution Research2020
39 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 35
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
Albert van Oyen,
Susanne Kühn,
Albert van Oyen
J.A. van Franeker,
Susanne Kühn,
Susanne Kühn,
Susanne Kühn,
J.A. van Franeker,
Susanne Kühn,
Susanne Kühn,
Susanne Kühn,
J.A. van Franeker,
Susanne Kühn,
Susanne Kühn,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
Susanne Kühn,
Elisa L. Bravo Rebolledo,
J.A. van Franeker,
Susanne Kühn,
Albert van Oyen
Susanne Kühn,
Albert van Oyen
Susanne Kühn,
Susanne Kühn,
Susanne Kühn,
J.A. van Franeker,
Susanne Kühn,
Albert van Oyen,
Susanne Kühn,
Albert van Oyen,
Elisa L. Bravo Rebolledo,
Susanne Kühn,
Elisa L. Bravo Rebolledo,
Susanne Kühn,
J.A. van Franeker,
Susanne Kühn,
J.A. van Franeker,
Elisa L. Bravo Rebolledo,
Susanne Kühn,
Amalie Ask,
Amalie Ask,
Susanne Kühn,
J.A. van Franeker,
Elisa L. Bravo Rebolledo,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
Susanne Kühn,
Albert van Oyen,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
Albert van Oyen
Albert van Oyen
Susanne Kühn,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
Elisa L. Bravo Rebolledo,
Susanne Kühn,
Susanne Kühn,
Elisa L. Bravo Rebolledo,
Elisa L. Bravo Rebolledo,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
Susanne Kühn,
Amalie Ask,
Amalie Ask,
Albert van Oyen
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
Albert van Oyen,
Albert van Oyen,
J.A. van Franeker,
Albert van Oyen
Albert van Oyen,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
Susanne Kühn,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
Elisa L. Bravo Rebolledo,
J.A. van Franeker,
Susanne Kühn,
Susanne Kühn,
Elisa L. Bravo Rebolledo,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
Susanne Kühn,
Elisa L. Bravo Rebolledo,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
J.A. van Franeker,
Susanne Kühn,
J.A. van Franeker,
Albert van Oyen,
Albert van Oyen
Summary
This study used infrared spectroscopy and density separation to identify the polymer types in plastics ingested by northern fulmars and related southern hemisphere seabirds, finding predominantly polyethylene and polypropylene. Identifying which types of plastics seabirds ingest can help trace the sources of marine plastic pollution and understand the chemical additive risks birds face.
Although ingestion of plastic by tubenosed seabirds has been documented regularly, identification of the polymer composition of these plastics has rarely been described. Polymer assessment may assist in identifying sources and may indicate risks from additives occurring in specific types of polymers. Using known test materials, two identification methods Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and near infrared spectroscopy (FTIR and NIR) were compared. Although both methods were found to be similarly suitable for identification of plastic polymers, a significant difference was observed in identification of natural materials. FTIR frequently misclassified natural materials as being a synthetic polymer. Within our results, an 80% match score threshold functioned best to distinguish between natural items and synthetics. Using NIR, the historical variability of plastics ingested by northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) from the Dutch sector of the North Sea was analysed for three time periods since the 1980s. For the more recent decade, variability between fulmars from different regions in the northeast Atlantic was investigated. Regional variation was further explored by analysing plastics obtained from the stomachs of southern hemisphere relatives of the fulmar (southern fulmar, cape petrel, snow petrel) and Wilson's storm petrel. Results show that proportional abundance of polymer types in these seabirds is closely related to the plastic categories that they ingest (e.g. pellets, foam, fragments). The uptake of different plastic categories and related polymer types most likely reflects spatial and temporal variations in availability rather than ingestion preferences of the birds.