Occurrence and size distribution of microplastics in mudflat sediments of the Cowichan-Koksilah Estuary, Canada: A baseline for plastic particles contamination in an anthropogenic-influenced estuary

Alava, Juan José; Kazmiruk, Tamara N.; Douglas, Tristan J.; Schuerholz, Goetz; Heath, Bill; Flemming, Scott A.; Bendell, L.I.; Drever, Mark C.

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113033

Cited by 14 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 33 publications

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“…While the lack of replicates is a limitation to the study, the absence of previous research in the area makes all data collected crucial to establish offshore baseline data. Such is the variability of MP abundances recorded worldwide that the sediments in the Porcupine Seabight and environs while comparable to the majority of deep sea sediments, , with the exception of the high abundances recorded in areas of the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Arctic, , and in the Mariana Trench are also comparable to some beaches, shallow coastal waters, wave and tidal shelves, and estuaries . Caution needs to be taken when making inferences where MP results have low abundances and/or no replicates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep Sea Microplastic Pollution Extends Out to Sediments in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean Margins

Nash¹,

Joyce²,

Pagter

et al. 2022

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Microplastics are ubiquitous emerging contaminants found in every habitat surveyed, building upon international databases globally. Costs and accessibility often correlate to few deep sea sediment surveys, restricting the number of stations within a given sampling area. An extensive survey of the Porcupine Seabight, Porcupine Bank, the Goban Spur, and south-western canyons resulted in identifying microplastics in deep sea sediment surface layers from 33 of the 44 stations sampled (75%), with a total of 83 particles (74 synthetic and 9 natural) recorded. No microplastic hotspots were identified, and abundances (kg d.w. −1 ) were not correlated with distance from land, depth, or the presence of macrolitter on the seafloor. Understanding the sources of deep sea microplastics, such as marine traffic, is crucial to developing effective mitigation strategies as well as further monitoring campaigns targeting microplastic pollution in areas with significant deep sea biodiversity such as the Porcupine Seabright.

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