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Microplastic concentrations, size distribution, and polymer types in the surface waters of a northern European lake.

ABSTRACT: We examined microplastic concentrations, size distributions, and polymer types in surface waters of a northern European dimictic lake. Two sampling methods, a pump sieving water onto filters with different pore sizes (20, 100, and 300 µm) and a common manta trawl (333 µm), were utilized to sample surface water from 12 sites at the vicinity of potential sources for microplastic emissions. The number and polymer types of microplastics in the samples were determined with optical microscopy and ?FTIR spectroscopy. The average concentrations were 0.27 ± 0.18 (mean ± SD) microplastics/m³ in manta trawled samples and 1.8 ± 2.3 (>300 ?m), 12 ± 17 (100-300 ?m) and 155 ± 73 (20-100 ?m) microplastics/m³ in pump filtered samples. The majority (64%) of the identified microplastics (n = 168) were fibers, and the rest were fragments. Materials were identified as polymers commonly used in consumer products, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate. Microplastic concentrations were high near the discharge pipe of a wastewater treatment plant, harbors, and snow dumping site. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Samples were taken with a manta trawl (333 ?m) and a pump filtration system (300/100/20 ?m) With pump filtration, small 20-300 ?m particles were more common than >300 ?m particles The average concentration of manta trawled samples was 0.27 ± 0.18 (mean ± SD) microplastics/m³ FTIR analysis revealed PE, PP, PET, and PAN to be the most common polymers.

SUBMITTER: Uurasjarvi E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6973047 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Microplastic concentrations, size distribution, and polymer types in the surface waters of a northern European lake.

Uurasjärvi Emilia E Hartikainen Samuel S Setälä Outi O Lehtiniemi Maiju M Koistinen Arto A

Water environment research : a research publication of the Water Environment Federation 20190912 1

We examined microplastic concentrations, size distributions, and polymer types in surface waters of a northern European dimictic lake. Two sampling methods, a pump sieving water onto filters with different pore sizes (20, 100, and 300 µm) and a common manta trawl (333 µm), were utilized to sample surface water from 12 sites at the vicinity of potential sources for microplastic emissions. The number and polymer types of microplastics in the samples were determined with optical microscopy and μFTI ...[more]

PMID: 31469932

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Project description:Phytoplankton underpin the marine food web in shelf seas, with some species having properties that are harmful to human health and coastal aquaculture. Pressures such as climate change and anthropogenic nutrient input are hypothesized to influence phytoplankton community composition and distribution. Yet the primary environmental drivers in shelf seas are poorly understood. To begin to address this in North Western European waters, the phytoplankton community composition was assessed in light of measured physical and chemical drivers during the "Ellett Line" cruise of autumn 2001 across the Scottish Continental shelf and into adjacent open Atlantic waters. Spatial variability existed in both phytoplankton and environmental conditions, with clear differences not only between on and off shelf stations but also between different on shelf locations. Temperature/salinity plots demonstrated different water masses existed in the region. In turn, principal component analysis (PCA), of the measured environmental conditions (temperature, salinity, water density and inorganic nutrient concentrations) clearly discriminated between shelf and oceanic stations on the basis of DIN:DSi ratio that was correlated with both salinity and temperature. Discrimination between shelf stations was also related to this ratio, but also the concentration of DIN and DSi. The phytoplankton community was diatom dominated, with multidimensional scaling (MDS) demonstrating spatial variability in its composition. Redundancy analysis (RDA) was used to investigate the link between environment and the phytoplankton community. This demonstrated a significant relationship between community composition and water mass as indexed by salinity (whole community), and both salinity and DIN:DSi (diatoms alone). Diatoms of the Pseudo-nitzschia seriata group occurred at densities potentially harmful to shellfish aquaculture, with the potential for toxicity being elevated by the likelihood of DSi limitation of growth at most stations and depths.

Dataset Information

Microplastic concentrations, size distribution, and polymer types in the surface waters of a northern European lake.

Publications

Microplastic concentrations, size distribution, and polymer types in the surface waters of a northern European lake.

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