Marine and Freshwater Research Centre, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Dublin Road, Galway, Ireland.
Marine and Freshwater Research Centre, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Dublin Road, Galway, Ireland.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2014 Nov 15;88(1-2):325-33. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.08.023. Epub 2014 Sep 12.
Levels of marine debris, including microplastics, are largely un-documented in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. Broad scale monitoring efforts are required to understand the distribution, abundance and ecological implications of microplastic pollution. A method of continuous sampling was developed to be conducted in conjunction with a wide range of vessel operations to maximise vessel time. Transects covering a total of 12,700 km were sampled through continuous monitoring of open ocean sub-surface water resulting in 470 samples. Items classified as potential plastics were identified in 94% of samples. A total of 2315 particles were identified, 89% were less than 5mm in length classifying them as microplastics. Average plastic abundance in the Northeast Atlantic was calculated as 2.46 particles m(-3). This is the first report to demonstrate the ubiquitous nature of microplastic pollution in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean and to present a potential method for standardised monitoring of microplastic pollution.
东北大西洋海洋中的海洋垃圾（包括微塑料）水平在很大程度上尚未记录。需要进行广泛的监测工作，以了解微塑料污染的分布、丰度和生态影响。开发了一种连续采样方法，与各种船只作业相结合，以最大限度地利用船只时间。通过对开阔海洋次表层水进行连续监测，共采集了 12700 公里的横截，共采集了 470 个样本。94%的样本中发现了被归类为潜在塑料的物品。共鉴定出 2315 个颗粒，其中 89%小于 5 毫米，将其归类为微塑料。东北大西洋的平均塑料丰度为 2.46 个颗粒/立方米。这是首次报告表明微塑料污染在东北大西洋的普遍存在，并提出了一种用于标准化监测微塑料污染的潜在方法。
