Trent University, Environmental and Life Science, Peterborough K9L 0G2, Canada.
Trent University, Environmental and Life Science, Peterborough K9L 0G2, Canada.
Sci Total Environ. 2020 May 1;715:136973. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136973. Epub 2020 Jan 27.
Microplastics, which are plastic particles < 5 mm, have been found throughout the environment. However, few studies have focused on their transport via atmospheric deposition. Bryophytes have been used as biomonitors for the atmospheric deposition of trace elements, persistent organic pollutants and particulate matter, and may potentially be used to monitor the atmospheric deposition of microplastics or anthropogenic microfibres (mf). Hylocomium splendens was collected from three lake catchments, which are remote from anthropogenic disturbance and emissions sources. Anthropogenic mf were observed in all moss samples; the average number was 24 mf g dry weight (range: 15-30 mf g) across the three study sites. The average length of mf was 1.02 mm (range: 0.83-1.20 mm). Plastic mf were identified using five rigorous visual criteria; 27% of the observed mf passed four criteria and 13% passed all five, suggesting at most a quarter of the mf may be plastic. Annual average atmospheric deposition of anthropogenic mf across the three lake catchments was estimated at 47,700 mf m (12,000 plastic mf m), based on a moss biomass of 2 kg dry weight m. These preliminary findings suggest that moss may be a useful biomonitor for the atmospheric deposition of mf (and microplastics).
微塑料是指粒径小于 5 毫米的塑料颗粒，已在环境中广泛存在。然而，很少有研究关注它们通过大气沉积的传输。苔藓植物已被用作痕量元素、持久性有机污染物和颗粒物大气沉积的生物监测物，并且可能被用于监测大气中微塑料或人为微纤维（mf）的沉积。从三个远离人为干扰和排放源的湖泊流域采集了 Hygrohypnum splendens。在所有苔藓样本中都观察到了人为 mf；在三个研究地点，平均数量为 24 mf g 干重（范围：15-30 mf g）。mf 的平均长度为 1.02 毫米（范围：0.83-1.20 毫米）。使用五个严格的视觉标准对塑料 mf 进行了识别；通过四个标准的 mf 占观察到的 mf 的 27%，通过所有五个标准的 mf 占 13%，这表明最多只有四分之一的 mf 可能是塑料。基于 2 公斤干重平方米的苔藓生物量，估计三个湖泊流域的人为 mf 年平均大气沉积量约为 47700 mf m（约 12000 个塑料 mf m）。这些初步结果表明，苔藓可能是 mf（和微塑料）大气沉积的有用生物监测物。
