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Characterizing Microplastics of Surface Waters from the Puget Sound, Washington
Summary
Researchers from the University of Washington Tacoma, working with an environmental education nonprofit, characterized microplastics in surface waters of Puget Sound using a community science sampling approach. The study adds to the growing body of evidence that microplastics are widespread in Pacific Northwest coastal waters.
Plastic marine debris is found in coastal and marine waters worldwide. There has been an increase in the study of microplastics, synthetic polymers < 5 mm, throughout the world. Researchers at the Center for Urban Waters, University of Washington Tacoma have collaborated with Sound Experience, a local boat-based environmental education group, trained by our research group on sample collection. This presentation describes the spatial distribution of microplastics from 2012 and 2013 surveys of waters from Puget Sound, Washington collected by Sound Experience. Undergraduate student researchers from the Center for Urban Waters analyzed the environmental samples using a wet-peroxide oxidation method. This survey measured variable concentrations of microplastics in this region’s surface water ranging from 0.05 to 31% microplastics of the dry mass with an average concentration of 7% microplastics of the dry mass.