Abel Serena M, Primpke Sebastian, Wu Fangzhu, Brandt Angelika, Gerdts Gunnar
Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Department of Marine Zoology, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Department of Microbial Ecology, Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Kurpromenade 201, 27498 Helgoland, Germany; Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Ecology, Diversity and Evolution, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Department of Microbial Ecology, Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Kurpromenade 201, 27498 Helgoland, Germany.
Sci Total Environ. 2022 Sep 10;838(Pt 2):156035. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156035. Epub 2022 May 20.
Microplastic (MP) pollution affects almost all ecosystems on Earth. Given the increasing plastic production worldwide and the durability of these polymers, concerns arise about the fate of this material in the environment. A candidate to consider as a depositional final sink of MP is the sea floor and its deepest representatives, hadal trenches, as ultimate sinks. In this study, 13 sediment samples were collected with a multiple-corer at depths between 5740 and 9450 m from the Kuril Kamchatka trench (KKT), in the Northwest (NW) Pacific Ocean. These samples were analysed for MP presence in the upper sediment layer, by slicing the first 5 cm of sediment cores into 1 cm horizontal layers. These were compared against each other and between the sampling areas, in order to achieve a detailed picture of the depositional system of the trench and small-scale perturbations such as bioturbation. The analyses revealed the presence of 215 to 1596 MP particles per kg sediment (dry weight), with a polymer composition represented by 14 polymer types and the prevalence of particles smaller than 25 μm. A heterogeneous microplastic distribution through the sediment column and different microplastic concentration and polymer types among sampling stations located in different areas of the trench reflects the dynamics of this environment and the numerous forces that drive the deposition processes and the in situ recast of this pollutant at the trench floor.
微塑料（MP）污染影响着地球上几乎所有的生态系统。鉴于全球塑料产量不断增加以及这些聚合物的耐久性，人们对这种材料在环境中的归宿产生了担忧。作为微塑料沉积最终汇的一个候选地点是海底及其最深的代表——超深渊海沟，作为最终的汇。在这项研究中，使用多管采样器从西北太平洋的千岛堪察加海沟（KKT）5740至9450米深处采集了13个沉积物样本。通过将沉积物岩芯的前5厘米切成1厘米的水平层，分析这些样本上部沉积层中的微塑料存在情况。将这些样本相互比较以及在不同采样区域之间进行比较，以详细了解海沟的沉积系统以及诸如生物扰动等小规模扰动情况。分析结果显示，每千克沉积物（干重）中存在215至1596个微塑料颗粒，聚合物组成由14种聚合物类型代表，且颗粒普遍小于25微米。沉积物柱中微塑料分布不均，以及位于海沟不同区域的采样站之间微塑料浓度和聚合物类型不同，反映了该环境的动态变化以及驱动沉积过程和海沟底部这种污染物原位重塑的众多力量。
