Marine and Freshwater Research Centre (MFRC), Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Dublin Rd., Galway H91 T8NW, Ireland.
Marine and Freshwater Research Centre (MFRC), Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Dublin Rd., Galway H91 T8NW, Ireland.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2020 Sep;158:111361. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111361. Epub 2020 Jun 16.
Floating microplastic debris at the ocean's surface represents about 1% of all plastics found in the environment, with the remainder thought to be either deposited along the coast or sinks to the bottom of the ocean. This exploratory research on a coastal embayment in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean assesses floating microplastic densities and the potential influence of wind. A total of 1182 floating microplastic particles were retrieved from a total surface seawater volume of 2039.86 m. The average microplastic density (0.56 ± 0.33 MP m) is based on a sample of 20 manta trawls. This study reports primary microplastics (microbeads) floating in Irish coastal waters for the first-time. Compared to similar bays in Europe, Galway Bay has a similar microplastic density range. Microplastics in surface waters are a multifaceted issue therefore, multiple types of sample collection along with associated environmental variables are recommended for coastal monitoring purposes.
漂浮在海洋表面的微塑料碎片约占环境中所有塑料的 1%，其余的则被认为要么沉积在海岸沿线，要么下沉到海底。这项对东北大西洋沿海港湾的探索性研究评估了漂浮微塑料的密度及其受风力的潜在影响。从总共 2039.86 立方米的表层海水中采集到了 1182 个漂浮微塑料颗粒。平均微塑料密度（0.56±0.33 MP m）基于 20 次帘式拖网的样本。本研究首次报告了爱尔兰沿海水域中漂浮的原生微塑料（微珠）。与欧洲类似的海湾相比，戈尔韦湾的微塑料密度范围相似。因此，由于水面微塑料是一个多方面的问题，建议为了沿海监测目的，采用多种类型的样本采集以及相关的环境变量。
