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Vertical water column position determines density and types of microplastics in Harvey’s Lake, the largest natural lake by volume in Pennsylvania
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Sampling Harvey's Lake, Pennsylvania at seven depths revealed that microplastic type and abundance vary significantly with depth: large fibers dominate near the surface while non-fiber particles concentrate in bottom sediments, with 65% of microplastics attached to algae. This vertical stratification demonstrates that single-depth sampling significantly underestimates total microplastic burden in stratified lakes, with algal attachment having important implications for trophic transfer up aquatic food webs.
Abstract In deep stratified lakes, knowing the mechanisms determining the vertical distribution of microplastics (MPs) is necessary to understand their total influence on aquatic food webs fully. The authors of this article collected MPs at seven depths in the water column using a Schindler–Patalas plankton trap and from the bottom lake sediments using a Ponar Grab Sampler. The type and number of MPs varied by depth. MPs were mostly large fibers in the surface water (1 m) or nonfiber particles in the bottom sediment (30 m), likely due to temperature-associated density differences and other natural lake processes. These findings support the conclusion that vertical distribution is important when MP pollution in deep stratified lakes is considered. Notably, most MPs (65%) were attached to algae, which could have implications for higher trophic levels and key ecosystem processes.
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Microplastics in a deep, dimictic lake of the North German Plain with special regard to vertical distribution patterns
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Researchers assessed the vertical distribution of microplastics in Lake Tollense, a deep dimictic lake in northern Germany, sampling particles 63-5000 μm at surface, 7 m, and 10 m depths on three occasions. The study found that vertical distribution patterns varied with lake stratification and depth, contributing new data on how physical processes in freshwater lakes influence where microplastics accumulate.
Vertical Distribution of Microplastics in the Water Column and Surficial Sediment from the Milwaukee River Basin to Lake Michigan
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Microplastics were measured in water surface, water subsurface, and sediment samples along the Milwaukee River continuum to Lake Michigan, finding density-dependent vertical distribution with low-density polymers concentrated at the surface and high-density polymers in sediments. The study demonstrates a clear polymer partitioning pattern with depth in freshwater systems.
Laboratory and numerical investigation of the factors controlling the residence time of microplastics in the water column of thermally stratified lakes
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Researchers used laboratory experiments and numerical modeling to investigate how thermal stratification in lakes affects the residence time of microplastics in the water column, finding that stratification traps particles in specific depth layers. Thermally stratified summer conditions increase the likelihood that microplastics will be encountered and ingested by filter-feeding organisms at particular depths.
Vertical Distribution of Microplastics in a Deep European Lake During Thermal Stratification
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Scientists studying a deep lake in Greece found that tiny plastic fibers collect in a specific layer of water (called the thermocline) that forms during warm months—and this is also where a key food-chain organism, a tiny water creature called a copepod, likes to gather. Since this copepod is a favorite food of a popular commercial fish, the overlap raises concerns that plastic fibers could be working their way up the food chain toward the fish we eat. More research is needed to confirm how much of this plastic actually ends up in fish and, eventually, on our plates.
Microplastics in the Water Column of Western Lake Superior
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Researchers sampled the pelagic water column and air-water interface at four locations in western Lake Superior to characterize the presence and depth distribution of microplastics under both stratified and unstratified seasonal conditions. Results confirmed microplastics are present throughout the Lake Superior water column, revealing that surface-only sampling significantly underestimates total microplastic loads in this Great Lakes system.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.