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Accumulation de particules de microplastiques dans le neuston en Méditerranée Occidentale et au large de la Corse
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Oceanographic surveys found microplastic particles accumulating in the surface layer of the Western Mediterranean Sea and near Corsica, with sizes similar to zooplankton in the same habitat. The proximity to zooplankton raises concern about ingestion and trophic transfer of plastics in marine food webs.
Des mesures réalisées lors de diverses campagnes océanographiques ont montré la présence de microparticules de plastiques de diverses natures à la surface des mers avec de hauts niveaux de concentration et une large dispersion géographique. La taille de ces microplastiques est inférieure à 5 mm et voisine de celle du mésozooplancton. Ces microplastiques s’accumulent dans la couche de surface de la mer qui constitue l’habitat neustonique et qui héberge des assemblages zooplanctoniques particulièrement adaptés à ces conditions extrèmes. Cet habitat est essentiel pour la ponte et la survie des œufs de nombreux poissons et pour le recrutement des juvéniles. Une étude récente que nous avons réalisée au niveau du bassin Nord Occidental Méditerranéen et au large de la Corse (Campagne MED) a montré des concentrations de 0.116 particules/m2 et un rapport moyen de la masse de microplastique à celle du mésozooplancton de 0.5. Ceci nous suggère la potentialité d’une confusion entre les proies et les microplastiques pour les organsismes se nourrissant de zooplancton (Collignon et al., 2012). Une étude de la variabilité de ces microplastiques dans le neuston et l’impact sur celui-ci est actuellement en cours en Baie de Calvi à STARESO. Références : Collignon, A., Hecq, J.-H., Galgani, F., Voisin, P., Collard, F., Goffart, A., 2012. Neustonic microplastic and zooplankton in the North Western Mediterranean Sea. Mar. Pollut. Bull. (In Press). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.01.011
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