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Microplastic analysis in the South Funen Archipelago, Baltic Sea, implementing manta trawling and bulk sampling
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Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in the surface waters of the South Funen Archipelago in the Baltic Sea using manta trawls and bulk water sampling, finding slightly lower concentrations (0.07 particles/m3) than other regional studies, which was attributed to the sheltered location and low local population pressure. The study also found that low-volume bulk samples were not comparable to manta trawl results due to insufficient sample representativeness.
Microplastic contamination in surface waters of the South Funen Archipelago in Denmark was assessed. Therefore, ten manta trawls were conducted in June 2015. Moreover, 31 low-volume bulk samples were taken to evaluate, whether consistent results in comparison to the net-based approach can be obtained. Microplastic contamination in the South Funen Archipelago (0.07 ± 0.02 particles/m3) is slightly below values reported before. The sheltered position of the study area, low population pressure on adjacent islands and the absence of any major potential point sources were identified as major factors explaining the low concentration of microplastics. Within the Archipelago, harbors or marinas and the associated vessel traffic are the most probable sources of microplastics. The concentration of microplastics in low-volume bulk samples is not comparable to manta trawl results. This is mainly due to insufficient representativeness of the bulk sample volumes.
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