We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Microplastics in Baltic bottom sediments: Quantification procedures and first results
Summary
Researchers developed modified procedures for quantifying microplastics in Baltic Sea bottom sediments, addressing limitations in the standard NOAA methods — particularly the underestimation of fiber counts. The proposed improvements offer a more reliable approach for monitoring sediment contamination in this heavily polluted regional sea.
Microplastics in the marine environment are known as a global ecological problem but there are still no standardized analysis procedures for their quantification. The first breakthrough in this direction was the NOAA Laboratory Methods for quantifying synthetic particles in water and sediments, but fibers numbers have been found to be underestimated with this approach. We propose modifications for these methods that will allow us to analyze microplastics in bottom sediments, including small fibers. Addition of an internal standard to sediment samples and occasional empty runs are advised for analysis quality control. The microplastics extraction efficiency using the proposed modifications is 92±7%. Distribution of microplastics in bottom sediments of the Russian part of the Baltic Sea is presented. Microplastic particles were found in all of the samples with an average concentration of 34±10 items/kg DW and have the same order of magnitude as neighbor studies reported.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Microplastics distribution in bottom sediments of the Baltic Sea Proper
Researchers found microplastics in Baltic Sea Proper bottom sediments ranging from 103 to 10,179 items per kg dry weight across 53 samples, with abundance increasing significantly with water depth. Fibrous particles dominated at 74.5% and appeared to behave as a distinct type of 'synthetic sediment,' following erosion-transition-accumulation patterns similar to natural sediment.
Data on microplastic contamination of the Baltic Sea bottom sediment samples in 2015–2016
Microplastic contamination in Baltic Sea bottom sediments was quantified across 53 samples from three major basins, providing primary data on abundance, distribution, and types of particles. This baseline dataset is important for tracking how microplastic pollution in the Baltic Sea changes over time.
A new analytical approach for monitoring microplastics in marine sediments
Researchers developed a new analytical approach for monitoring microplastics specifically in marine sediments, improving extraction and identification steps to enable more reliable and standardized environmental monitoring of seafloor contamination.
Microplastics in Galway Bay: A comparison of sampling and separation methods
Researchers compared multiple sampling and separation methods for measuring microplastics in benthic sediments in Galway Bay, Ireland, finding significant variation in recovery efficiency between approaches and highlighting the need for standardized methods to enable comparable data across studies.
New techniques for the detection of microplastics in sediments and field collected organisms
Researchers developed new techniques for detecting microplastics in sediment samples and for collecting particles in the field, improving the reliability and sensitivity of methods used to monitor environmental microplastic contamination.