Positively buoyant but sinking: Polymer identification and composition of marine litter at the seafloor of the North Sea and Baltic Sea

Int-Veen, Ivo; Nogueira, Pedro Vencovsky; Isigkeit, Jason; Hanel, Reinhold; Kammann, Ulrike

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112876

Cited by 20 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…The investigated polymers represented, as of 2015, 50.3% of the global plastic waste generation, 21 and despite their positive buoyancy, PE and PP are the most abundant polymers reported in sedimentary environments. 22 , 23 We discuss our findings in the context of previous MP observations, the variability of MP properties over time, and the environmental factors leading to the sequestration and preservation of MPs in the seabed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…In addition, we explore the degradation status of these pollutants once buried in the continental shelf by quantifying the weathered status of the polyolefins, polyethylene (PE), and polypropylene (PP). The investigated polymers represented, as of 2015, 50.3% of the global plastic waste generation, and despite their positive buoyancy, PE and PP are the most abundant polymers reported in sedimentary environments. , We discuss our findings in the context of previous MP observations, the variability of MP properties over time, and the environmental factors leading to the sequestration and preservation of MPs in the seabed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 64%

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Can a Sediment Core Reveal the Plastic Age? Microplastic Preservation in a Coastal Sedimentary Record

Simon-Sánchez

Grelaud

Lorenz

et al. 2022

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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The seafloor is the major sink for microplastic (MP) pollutants. However, there is a lack of robust data on the historical evolution of MP pollution in the sediment compartment, particularly the sequestration and burial rate of small MPs. By combining a palaeoceanographic approach and state-of-the-art analytical methods for MP identification down to 11 μm in size, we present the first high-resolution reconstruction of MP pollution from an undisturbed sediment core collected in the NW Mediterranean Sea. Furthermore, we investigate the fate of MPs once buried in the sediments by evaluating the changes in the size distribution of the MPs and the weathering status of the polyolefins, polyethylene, and polypropylene. Our results indicate that the MP mass sequestered in the sediment compartment mimics the global plastic production from 1965 to 2016. We observed an increase in the weathering status of the polyolefins as the size decreased. However, the variability in the size and weathering status of the MPs throughout the sedimentary record indicated that these pollutants, once incorporated into sediments, remain preserved with no further degradation under conditions lacking remobilization.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Can a Sediment Core Reveal the Plastic Age? Microplastic Preservation in a Coastal Sedimentary Record

Simon-Sánchez

Grelaud

Lorenz

et al. 2022

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…The Scientific group maintained that all three criteria are important for maintaining a healthy ecosystem and stock although they expressed some uncertainties on the impact of marine pollution and significance of fishery sector CO 2 emissions. The marine pollution mainly refers to the anthropogenic litter, more specifically any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment (Int-Veen, et al, 2021 ). One of the main contributors to marine plastic pollution is the fishing industry.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Multi-Criteria Framework for the Sustainable Management of Fisheries: a Case Study of UK’s North Sea Scottish Fisheries

Akbari

Bjørndal

Failler

et al. 2022

Environmental Management

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In this paper, a sustainability framework with a case application for UK’s Scottish fisheries has been developed which integrates aspects related to economic growth, social development, governance, biology, environment, and logistics. Scotland is the centre of UK’s commercial fishery sector however it faces challenges such as overexploitation, and changes in the governance structure following Brexit. The contributions of this study are threefold including (i) collecting and analysing primary data gathered from a diverse group of stakeholders in the Scottish fishery sector and scientific community, (ii) prioritising a diverse range of criteria in terms of importance in decision making from industry and scientific community perspectives, (iii) elaboration of the key management objectives in this region within the context of sustainable management of fisheries in the UK.The results of this stakeholders’ survey show that the key management objectives are reductions in overexploitation of stocks, inclusive governance, increase in transparency and simplicity of policy measures, reduction in marine litter, and increase in the efficiency of vessels. The analysis also shows that the industry group places a higher importance on socio-economic objectives such as increase in profit and employment compared to the scientific group. On the other hand, the scientific group prioritised the objectives such as reducing discards, bycatch, and impact on seafloor compared to the industry group. This study provides insight for the UK’s fisheries sector, and scientific advisory groups for the enhanced implementation of sustainable fisheries management policies.

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“…For example, using an ex situ experiment, Semcesen and Wells ( 2021 ) demonstrated that biofilm formation can increase particle density, leading to increased sinking behavior in aquatic environments. Similarly, Int-Veen et al ( 2021 ) reported that biofouling plays an important role in driving vertical transportation of MPs in the water column. Kaiser et al ( 2017 ) also demonstrated that the sinking velocity of PS MPs is enhanced after biofilm formation (81% and 16% increase in marine water and estuarine water, respectively).…”

Section: Physicochemical Changes Of Mps Induced By Biofilm Formationmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Apart from hydrophilicity, multiples studies have reported that biofilm formation can increase the density of MPs, leading to changes in their environmental transport (Kaiser et al 2017 ; Int-Veen et al 2021 ; Semcesen and Wells 2021 ). For example, using an ex situ experiment, Semcesen and Wells ( 2021 ) demonstrated that biofilm formation can increase particle density, leading to increased sinking behavior in aquatic environments.…”

Section: Physicochemical Changes Of Mps Induced By Biofilm Formationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Biofilm Formation on the Physicochemical Properties and Toxicity of Microplastics: A Concise Review

Moyal,

Dave,

et al. 2023

Reviews Env.Contamination (formerly:Residue Reviews)

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Microplastics (MPs) are of global concern due to their slow degradation in the environment and the potential of inducing adverse effects on organisms. In aquatic ecosystems, microbes routinely colonize MPs and develop biofilms on their surfaces. Biofilms are assemblages of surface-associated microbial cells that are enclosed in an extracellular polymeric substance. Emerging evidence has suggested that the development of biofilm can alter the physicochemical properties and the pollutant adsorption capability on MPs. In this article, we review the impacts of biofilm formation on MP properties, ecotoxicity, and fate. First, we summarize the environmental factors that modulate biofilm formation, as well as the unique components of biofilm on MP. Next, we review current understanding on the influence of biofilm formation on the physical and chemical properties of MPs and discuss how these changes affect their pollutant adsorption capacity. Finally, we discuss how biofilm formation on MPs affects their ingestion by organisms and nutrient cycling in aquatic environments. Graphical Abstract

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Positively buoyant but sinking: Polymer identification and composition of marine litter at the seafloor of the North Sea and Baltic Sea

Cited by 20 publications

References 83 publications

Can a Sediment Core Reveal the Plastic Age? Microplastic Preservation in a Coastal Sedimentary Record

Can a Sediment Core Reveal the Plastic Age? Microplastic Preservation in a Coastal Sedimentary Record

A Multi-Criteria Framework for the Sustainable Management of Fisheries: a Case Study of UK’s North Sea Scottish Fisheries

Impacts of Biofilm Formation on the Physicochemical Properties and Toxicity of Microplastics: A Concise Review

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