College of Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361105, China.
Laboratory of Marine Ecological Environment Early Warning and Monitoring, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China.
Sci Total Environ. 2022 Oct 10;842:156803. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156803. Epub 2022 Jun 21.
The ubiquitous microplastic (MP) pollution across the waterways, sediments, biota, and atmosphere has amplified concerns at a global scale. Unfortunately, harmonized MP monitoring protocols are absent for accurate evaluation on MP pollution. Few large-scale MP sampling programs involving different designs have been implemented in the open sea. In this study, a manta trawling and two newly custom-built pump filtration systems, namely, a trawl-underway pump combination system coupled in conjunction with an in-situ filtration device (Y-shaped filter, New Type I) and a stationary onboard pumping coupled to Y-shaped filter (New Type II), were evaluated for MP pollution in the mid-North Pacific Ocean. The trawling-based systems (manta trawl and New Type I) collected samples covering a large area, whereas New Type II operated at a fixed site. The new systems achieved fractionated filtration of MPs on site and prevented airborne contamination. The electronic fuel meter installed in the New Type II yielded a more accurate volume. Results showed that the average MP abundance of the aforementioned sampling techniques were 0.65, 2.56, and 7.48 items m, respectively. The abundances in the same particle size range (0.3-5.0 mm) from the new systems were higher. The recovered MPs from all systems were mainly white and polypropylene. Note that the MPs from the manta trawl were primarily fragments; however, they were mainly fibers from the new systems. This corroborated the capability of new systems in harvesting small items (0.1-0.3 mm) and fibers. The cost analysis showed that the new systems beat the manta trawl concerning price performance. The study results provide alternatives for future MP sampling, which will ultimately aid in the method harmonization and standardization of MP sampling.
微塑料（MP）无处不在，污染了水道、沉积物、生物群和大气，在全球范围内引起了人们的极大关注。不幸的是，目前缺乏用于准确评估 MP 污染的协调一致的 MP 监测方案。在开阔海域，仅实施了少数涉及不同设计的大规模 MP 采样计划。在本研究中，评估了使用蝠鲼拖网和两种新定制的泵过滤系统（结合了在途泵组合系统和原位过滤装置（Y 型过滤器，新型 I）以及固定船上泵和 Y 型过滤器（新型 II））收集北太平洋中部海域的 MP 污染样品。基于拖网的系统（蝠鲼拖网和新型 I）收集了大面积的样本，而新型 II 则在固定点运行。新系统能够在现场对 MPs 进行分级过滤，并防止空气传播的污染。新型 II 中安装的电子燃油表可提供更准确的体积。结果表明，上述采样技术的平均 MP 丰度分别为 0.65、2.56 和 7.48 个/立方米。新系统相同粒径范围内（0.3-5.0 毫米）的丰度更高。所有系统回收的 MPs 主要为白色和聚丙烯。请注意，蝠鲼拖网收集的 MPs 主要为碎片；然而，新系统收集的 MPs 主要为纤维。这证明了新系统收集小物品（0.1-0.3 毫米）和纤维的能力。成本分析表明，新系统在性价比方面优于蝠鲼拖网。本研究结果为未来的 MP 采样提供了替代方案，这将有助于 MP 采样方法的协调和标准化。
