Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 17, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
Advanced Polymer Materials, Via G. Saragat 9, 44122 Ferrara, Italy.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2020 Apr;153:111016. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111016. Epub 2020 Feb 25.
This is the first survey to investigate microplastic contamination in the Northern Tyrrhenian seafloor, along a 31 km-long transect from the port of Piombino (Tuscany) to the port of Portoferraio (Elba Island). Plastics extracted from 58 sediment samples were counted and identified by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Plastic pollution occurred in sites closer to ports as well as in offshore stations. Microplastics (1-5 mm) accounted for over 80% of particles. For all samples, the dominant microplastic type was filaments, followed by fragments and films. Six polymers were identified: nylon, polyurethane, polyethylene, and polyethylene terephtalate were the most common. This part of the Tyrrhenian Sea is a busy shipping route connecting the mainland to the Elba Island, with thousands cargo and passenger ships passing by per year. Our data constitute a baseline for microplastic research in the Tyrrhenian seafloor.
这是首次调查北第勒尼安海海底微塑料污染的研究，沿着从托斯卡纳的皮翁比诺港到厄尔巴岛的波托费拉约港的 31 公里长的横剖面进行。从 58 个沉积物样本中提取的塑料通过傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）进行计数和鉴定。在靠近港口的地点以及近海站都发生了塑料污染。微塑料（1-5 毫米）占颗粒的 80%以上。对于所有样本，主要的微塑料类型是纤维，其次是碎片和薄膜。鉴定出六种聚合物：尼龙、聚氨酯、聚乙烯和聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯是最常见的。第勒尼安海的这一部分是连接大陆和厄尔巴岛的繁忙航运路线，每年有成千上万的货船和客船经过。我们的数据为第勒尼安海底的微塑料研究提供了基线。
