Knowledge about Microplastic in Mediterranean Tributary River Ecosystems: Lack of Data and Research Needs on Such a Crucial Marine Pollution Source

Guerranti, Cristiana; Perra, Guido; Martellini, Tania; Giari, Luisa; Cincinelli, Alessandra

doi:10.3390/jmse8030216

Cited by 33 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 67 publications

(92 reference statements)

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“…Knowing riverine input dynamics into the sea and sea currents' flow direction is essential in order to identify pollution sources and the movement of contaminants. Nevertheless, there are not many studies available in this aspect and there are a lot of knowledge gaps ( Guerranti et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the presence of microplastics in striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded in the Western Mediterranean Sea

Novillo

Raga

Tòmàs

2020

Marine Pollution Bulletin

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Litter is a well-known problem for marine species; however, we still know little about the extent to which they're affected by microplastics. In this study, we analyse the presence of this type of debris in Western Mediterranean striped dolphins' intestinal contents over three decades. Results indicated that frequency was high, as 90.5% of dolphins contained microplastics. Of these microplastics, 73.6% were fibres, 23.87% were fragments and 2.53% were primary pellets. In spite of the high frequency of occurrence, microplastic amount per dolphin was relatively low and highly variable (mean ± SD = 14.9 ± 22.3; 95% CI: 9.58–23.4). Through FT-IR spectrometry, we found that polyacrylamide, typically found in synthetic clothes, was the most common plastic polymer. Here, we establish a starting point for further research on how microplastics affect this species' health and discuss the use of striped dolphins as indicators of microplastics at sea.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the presence of microplastics in striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded in the Western Mediterranean Sea

Novillo

Raga

Tòmàs

2020

Marine Pollution Bulletin

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“…Previous works suggested that both natural (e.g., hydrological processes, channel morphology, and riparian vegetation) and anthropogenic characteristics of river catchments (e.g., plastic waste management) control the input and transport of plastic debris in fluvial systems [12,13,15,[22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29], and that macroplastic constitutes most of riverine plastic debris in terms of mass [26]. Recent studies show that macroplastic debris may be stored on the surface of alluvium and in riparian vegetation (surface storage) and in river sediments (subsurface storage) [21,30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macroplastic Storage and Remobilization in Rivers

Liro

Emmerik

Wyżga‬‬

et al. 2020

Water

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The paper presents a conceptual model of the route of macroplastic debris (>5 mm) through a fluvial system, which can support future works on the overlooked processes of macroplastic storage and remobilization in rivers. We divided the macroplastic route into (1) input, (2) transport, (3) storage, (4) remobilization and (5) output phases. Phase 1 is mainly controlled by humans, phases 2–4 by fluvial processes, and phase 5 by both types of controls. We hypothesize that the natural characteristics of fluvial systems and their modification by dam reservoirs and flood embankments construction are key controls on macroplastic storage and remobilization in rivers. The zone of macroplastic storage can be defined as a river floodplain inundated since the beginning of widespread disposal of plastic waste to the environment in the 1960s and the remobilization zone as a part of the storage zone influenced by floodwaters and bank erosion. The amount of macroplastic in both zones can be estimated using data on the abundance of surface- and subsurface-stored macroplastic and the lateral and vertical extent of the zones. Our model creates the framework for estimation of how much plastic has accumulated in rivers and will be present in future riverscapes.

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“…This is particularly true for the Nile, since only one study has been conducted to date. This lack of knowledge has been identified as a major handicap in understanding the plastic pollution in the Mediterranean Sea (Guerranti et al, 2020;Khan et al, 2020;Martellini et al, 2018). Yet, according to modelling studies, the Nile is supposed to be one of the major MP contributor and to strongly influence the chemical nature of MPs in the Mediterranean Sea (Lebreton et al, 2012;Liubartseva et al, 2018;Soto-Navarro et al, 2020).…”

Section: The Case Of the Levantine Seamentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical composition of microplastics floating on the surface of the Mediterranean Sea

Kedzierski

Palazot

Soccalingame

et al. 2022

Marine Pollution Bulletin

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Knowledge about Microplastic in Mediterranean Tributary River Ecosystems: Lack of Data and Research Needs on Such a Crucial Marine Pollution Source

Cited by 33 publications

References 67 publications

Evaluating the presence of microplastics in striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded in the Western Mediterranean Sea

Evaluating the presence of microplastics in striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded in the Western Mediterranean Sea

Macroplastic Storage and Remobilization in Rivers

Chemical composition of microplastics floating on the surface of the Mediterranean Sea

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