Global Garbage Newsletter for July 13, 2014 Marine litter (marine debris) and plastic pollution *** Shiye Zhao, Lixin Zhu, Teng Wang, Daoji Li, Suspended microplastics in the surface water of the Yangtze Estuary System, China: First observations on occurrence, distribution, Marine Pollution Bulletin, Available online 11 July 2014, ISSN 0025-326X, dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.06.032. (sciencedirect/science/article/pii/S0025326X14004123) Abstract: Levels of microplastics (MPs) in China are completely unknown. This study characterizes suspended MPs quantitatively and qualitatively for the Yangtze Estuary and East China Sea. MPs were extracted via a floatation method. MPs were counted and categorized according to shape and size under a stereomicroscope. The MP densities were 4137.3 ± 2461.5 and 0.167 ± 0.138 n/m3, respectively, in the estuarine and the sea samples. Plastic abundances varied significantly in the estuary. Higher densities in three sea trawls confirmed that rivers were the important sources of MP to the marine environment. Plastic particles (>5 mm) were observed with a maximum size of 12.46 mm, but MPs (0.5–5 mm) constituted more than 90% by number of items. The most frequent geometries were fibres, followed by granules and films. Plastic spherules occurred sparsely. Transparent and coloured plastics comprised the majority of the particles. This study provides clues in understanding the fate and potential sources of MPs. Keywords: Suspended microplastic; Yangtze Estuary; East China Sea; Marine debris sciencedirect/science/article/pii/S0025326X14004123/pdfft?md5=02ffcecddad8da4e9cdf7468459cdca8&pid=1-s2.0-S0025326X14004123-main.pdf Note to users: Corrected proofs are Articles in Press that contain the authors corrections. Final citation details, e.g., volume and/or issue number, publication year and page numbers, still need to be added and the text might change before final publication. Although corrected proofs do not have all bibliographic details available yet, they can already be cited using the year of online publication and the DOI , as follows: author(s), article title, Publication (year), DOI. Please consult the journals reference style for the exact appearance of these elements, abbreviation of journal names and use of punctuation. When the final article is assigned to an volumes/issues of the Publication, the Article in Press version will be removed and the final version will appear in the associated published volumes/issues of the Publication. The date the article was first made available online will be carried over. *** sciencemag.org/content/345/6193/144 Microplastics in the seas Kara Lavender Law and Richard C. Thompson Science 11 July 2014: 345 (6193), 144-145. [DOI:10.1126/science.1254065] Plastic debris in the marine environment is more than just an unsightly problem. Images of beach litter and large floating debris may first come to mind, but much recent concern about plastic pollution has focused on microplastic particles too small to be easily detected by eye (see the figure). Microplastics are likely the most numerically abundant items of plastic debris in the ocean today, and quantities will inevitably increase, in part because large, single plastic items ultimately degrade into millions of microplastic pieces. Microplastics are of environmental concern because their size (millimeters or smaller) renders them accessible to a wide range of organisms at least as small as zooplankton, with potential for physical and toxicological harm. sciencemag.org/content/345/6193/144/suppl/DC1 Podcast Interview From the 11 July 2014 Science Podcast Kara Lavender Law talks about growing concerns over contamination of the marine environment with small plastic fragments. sciencemag.org/content/suppl/2014/07/09/345.6193.144.DC1/144.mp3 *** pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es501090e Andrew J. R. Watts, Ceri Lewis, Rhys M. Goodhead, Stephen J. Beckett, Julian Moger, Charles R. Tyler, and Tamara S. Galloway Uptake and Retention of Microplastics by the Shore Crab Carcinus maenas Environ. Sci. Technol., Article ASAP DOI: 10.1021/es501090e Publication Date (Web): June 27, 2014 Abstract Microplastics, plastics particles
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 20:53:27 +0000
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