We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Microplastics integrating the coastal planktonic community in the inner zone of the Río de la Plata estuary (South America)
Summary
Researchers found microplastics integrated into the coastal planktonic community in the inner Río de la Plata estuary in South America, characterizing the abundance, size, type, and color of plastic particles and examining their relationships with plankton size and morphology.
This study explores in plankton samples the abundance, distribution, size, types (fibres and fragments), colours of the microplastics (MPs) and its relation with the characteristics of the plankton (size and morphology) of the Río de la Plata estuary. Water samples were collected in triplicate in freshwater-mixohaline tidal zone of the estuary, in ten sampling sites located along 150 km of coast, in two periods (September-November 2016 and April-June 2017). The results revealed the presence of MPs in all the samples analysed, with a dominance of fibres and sizes >500 ≤ 1000 μm, and blue colour being more frequent. The MPs distribution was significantly different among sampling sites, being more abundant in the most urbanized sites, sewage discharges and near the maximum turbidity front. The mean density, in the two samplings analysed, were 164 and 114 MPs m. The fibres amount was significantly different among sites. The MPs integrated a planktonic community dominated by pico-microphytoplankton, mainly conformed by filaments/chains and solitary forms and by micro-mesozooplankton. The comparative analysis of plankton and MPs demonstrated that a fraction of the latter showed a frequency range of size that coincides with the most common sizes of plankton (≤500 μm). The mean percentage of MPs items in relation to zooplankton was 0.36% (sampling 1) and 1.20% (sampling 2) and for phytoplankton was 0.0002% (sampling 1) and 0.0005% (sampling 2). The correlations between the MPs concentration and habitat quality (IHRPlata index) were statistically significant, on the contrary correlations between the MPs concentration and measured environmental variables were not found. The findings of this study emphasises the need for a better treatment of urban waste, which would contribute to reducing the entry of this pollutant into the ecosystem. The presence of microplastics in plankton samples on the coast of the Río de la Plata estuary.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Evaluación De La Presencia De Microplásticos En Playas Del Río Del La Plata: Ciudad De Buenos Aires Y Alrededores
Microplastics were found in beach sediments along the Río de la Plata near Buenos Aires in both winter and spring surveys, confirming urban plastic pollution has reached coastal environments close to one of South America's largest cities.
Temporal patterns in the abundance, type and composition of microplastics on the coast of the Río de la Plata estuary
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.
Assessment of meso- and microplastics distribution in coastal sediments and waters at the middle estuary of the Rio De La Plata, Argentina (SW Atlantic Ocean)
Researchers assessed the distribution of microplastics and mesoplastics in coastal waters and sediments of the Rio de la Plata estuary in Argentina. The study found average concentrations of about 14 microplastic particles per liter in water and nearly 548 particles per kilogram in sediments, representing one of the first surveys of plastic contamination in this ecologically significant South American estuary.
Microplastics accumulation in an estuarine ecosystem and ecotoxicological effects of plastic leachates on a benthic copepod
Researchers assessed microplastic accumulation over one year in an urbanized zone of the Rio de la Plata estuary in Argentina, and tested effects on local marine organisms. Microplastic concentrations varied seasonally, and ecotoxicity tests confirmed that estuarine organisms experienced measurable stress from ambient contamination levels.
Microplastics in gut contents of coastal freshwater fish from Río de la Plata estuary
Microplastics were found in 100% of gut contents sampled from coastal freshwater fish in the Rio de la Plata estuary in South America, with fibers making up nearly all of the plastic found. Contamination was highest near sewage outfalls, linking microplastic ingestion directly to inadequate wastewater treatment.