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Assessing urban microplastic pollution in a benthic habitat of Patagonia Argentina
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Researchers assessed microplastic pollution in benthic environments near Puerto Madryn, Patagonia, finding microplastics present in mussels, small fishes, and bottom water at all sampled sites, with average concentrations of 1.6 items per gram wet weight in fish and 10.5 items per liter in bottom water.
Plastic pollution in the oceans has become a global problem, but its documentation is disparate around the world. We assess the abundance and type of microplastics in three benthic matrices: mussels, small fishes, and bottom water; in three sites nearby Puerto Madryn city (Patagonia, Argentina). Microplastics were present in the three matrices for all sites sampled. The average amounts of items observed were 1.6 and 0.3 per total wet weight in fishes and mussels, respectively, and 10.5 per liter in bottom water. Mussels and fishes presented a difference of microplastics size comparing with the surrounding bottoms waters; fishes also presented color discrimination, suggesting the necessity of more than one bioindicator to perform microplastic pollution monitoring. Moreover, small fishes had more MPs in their gastrointestinal tracts than bigger ones. The present study is the first one about the interaction between MPs and small aquatic organisms in coastal marine environments from Patagonia.
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Microplastics were detected in the tissues of mussels (Mytilus edulis platensis) from the San Jorge Gulf in Patagonia, Argentina, an area with limited prior pollution monitoring. The contamination was associated with proximity to coastal cities that discharge partially treated wastewater. The findings reveal that even remote Patagonian coastal ecosystems are affected by microplastic pollution from coastal urbanization and call for improved wastewater infrastructure in the region.
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Researchers monitored microplastic abundance, type, and composition monthly for one year in water and intertidal sediment at an urbanized site on the Río de la Plata estuary in Argentina, finding temporal patterns linked to environmental factors including river flow and seasonal variation.
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Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in sediments, water, and two species of edible mussels at a popular beach in Argentina. They found microplastics in all samples at levels comparable to other human-impacted coastal areas worldwide, with fibers being the most common type. The study raises concerns about human exposure to microplastics through consuming locally harvested shellfish.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.