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Rasta M, Khodadoust A, Rahimibashar MR, Taleshi MS, Sattari M. Microplastic Pollution in the Gastrointestinal Tract and Gills of Some Teleost and Sturgeon Fish from the Caspian Sea, Northern Iran. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2023; 42:2453-2465. [PMID: 37530412 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
The increasing microplastic pollution in the marine environment has raised global concern. The main risk of microplastics in aquatic ecosystem is their bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms. A few studies have reported microplastic pollution in the digestive system of Caspian Sea fish species, but there is no research on sturgeon species, nor on fish gills. We investigated the occurrence of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and gills of 62 specimens belonging to four species including three teleosts (Cyprinus carpio, Rutilus kutum, and Chelon aurata) and one sturgeon (Acipenser persicus, a valuable endangered species) from the Caspian Sea between January and March 2022. Fish tissues were removed, exposed for 24 h to 10% KOH, and then dried on filter paper. Particles were observed under a stereomicroscope and analyzed by Raman microspectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. A total of 91 microplastics were detected in the GIT (average of 1.46 ± 1.17 items/individual) and 63 microplastics in the gills (average of 1.01 ± 0.62 items/individual). A significant correlation was not found between the number of microplastics found in both tissues and fish body length, body weight, GIT weight, and gill weight (p > 0.05), except between microplastics isolated from gills and gill weight in C. carpio (rs = 0.707, p = 0.022). The abundance of microplastics in fish followed the order of A. persicus > C. aurata > R. kutum > C. carpio. The microplastics were in the size range of 45 to 5000 µm, with particles of 300 to 1000 µm being the most prevalent; 74.68% of the particles were shaped like fibers, 30.53% were red, and 70.6% were composed of nylon polymer. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:2453-2465. © 2023 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Majid Rasta
- Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmehsara, Iran
| | - Ali Khodadoust
- Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmehsara, Iran
| | | | - Mojtaba S Taleshi
- Department of Marine Chemistry, Faculty of Marine and Oceanic Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran
| | - Masoud Sattari
- Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmehsara, Iran
- Department of Marine Biology, The Caspian Sea Research Center, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
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Abbasi A, Algethami M, Bawazeer O, Zakaly HMH. Distribution of natural and anthropogenic radionuclides and associated radiation indices in the Southwestern coastline of Caspian Sea. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2022; 178:113593. [PMID: 35344732 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The distribution pattern of natural radionuclides (226Ra, 232Th, and 40K) and anthropogenic radionuclide (137Cs) in surface sediment samples from the southwestern coastline of the Caspian Sea were determined to estimate the radiation hazard indices using a high-purity germanium HPGe gamma-ray detector. The activity concentrations of the sediment samples ranged from 22.5 ± 1.0 to 47.4 ± 2.2 Bq kg-1 dry weight (dw) for 226Ra, 6.5 ± 0.1 to 18.7 ± 0.7 Bq kg-1 dw for 232Th, 559.9 ± 30.9 to 233.2 ± 19.4 Bq kg-1 dw for 40K, and 0.9 MDL (minimum detection limit) to 2.7 ± 0.1 Bq kg-1 dw for 137Cs. Based on the measured values, radiological risk indices were estimated. The mean values for absorbed dose rate, ambient dose equivalent rate, and excess lifetime cancer risk, were calculated as 35.7 nGy h-1, 47.9 nSv h-1, and 0.2, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akbar Abbasi
- Faculty of Engineering, University of Kyrenia, via Mersin 10, Kyrenia, TRNC, Turkey.
| | - Merfat Algethami
- Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Taif University, P. O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
| | - Omemh Bawazeer
- Medical Physics Department, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Umm-al qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hesham M H Zakaly
- Institute of Physics and Technology, Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg 620002, Russia; Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, 71524 Assuit, Egypt.
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Bach LT, Boyd PW. Seeking natural analogs to fast-forward the assessment of marine CO 2 removal. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2106147118. [PMID: 34544897 PMCID: PMC8501766 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2106147118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitigating global climate change will require gigaton-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR) as a supplement to rapid emissions reduction. The oceans cover 71% of the Earth surface and have the potential to provide much of the required CDR. However, none of the proposed marine CDR (mCDR) methods is sufficiently well understood to determine their real-world efficiency and environmental side effects. Here, we argue that using natural mCDR analogs should become the third interconnecting pillar in the mCDR assessment as they bridge the gap between numerical simulations (i.e., large scale/reduced complexity) and experimental studies (i.e., small scale/high complexity). Natural mCDR analogs occur at no cost, can provide a wealth of data to inform mCDR, and do not require legal permission or social license for their study. We propose four simple criteria to identify particularly useful analogs: 1) large scale, 2) abruptness of perturbation, 3) availability of unperturbed control sites, and 4) reoccurrence. Based on these criteria, we highlight four examples: 1) equatorial upwelling as a natural analog for artificial upwelling, 2) downstream of Kerguelen Island for ocean iron fertilization, 3) the Black and Caspian Seas for ocean alkalinity enhancement, and 4) the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt for ocean afforestation. These natural analogs provide a reality check for experimental assessments and numerical modeling of mCDR. Ultimately, projections of mCDR efficacy and sustainability supported by observations from natural analogs will provide the real-world context for the public debate and will facilitate political decisions on mCDR implementation. We anticipate that a rigorous investigation of natural analogs will fast-forward the urgently needed assessment of mCDR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lennart T Bach
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7004, Australia
| | - Philip W Boyd
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7004, Australia
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Saleh A, Abtahi B, Mirzaei N, Chen CTA, Ershadifar H, Ghaemi M, Hamzehpour A, Abedi E. Hypoxia in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 167:112354. [PMID: 33866201 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2020] [Revised: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In this article dissolved oxygen results of research cruises through the Persian Gulf during 2018-2019 are discussed. The results showed that summer to autumn hypoxia occurred mainly at depths ≥ 50 m to the bottom. This seasonal hypoxia started in late summer reaching its greatest severity in mid-autumn with an area of 50,000 km2 in the Persian Gulf. The minimum oxygen measured at the near-bottom layer of the western basin in autumn (25.8 μmol/kg) was lower than any previous measurement in the open waters of the Persian Gulf. In the Strait of Hormuz, the seasonal hypoxia appeared in summer in the near bottom of the most eastern part at the Iranian side. pHT values recorded in hypoxic waters were as low as what is predicted for surface ocean under ocean acidification in 2100. Considering the results, we suggest evaluating the effects of hypoxia and acidification on the Persian Gulf ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abolfazl Saleh
- Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Science, No. 3, Etemadzadeh St., Fatemi Ave., Tehran 1411813389, Iran.
| | - Behrooz Abtahi
- Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nikoo Mirzaei
- Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Chen-Tung Arthur Chen
- Department of Oceanography, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan, ROC.
| | - Hamid Ershadifar
- Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Science, No. 3, Etemadzadeh St., Fatemi Ave., Tehran 1411813389, Iran
| | - Maryam Ghaemi
- Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Science, No. 3, Etemadzadeh St., Fatemi Ave., Tehran 1411813389, Iran
| | - Ali Hamzehpour
- Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Science, No. 3, Etemadzadeh St., Fatemi Ave., Tehran 1411813389, Iran
| | - Ehsan Abedi
- Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Science, No. 3, Etemadzadeh St., Fatemi Ave., Tehran 1411813389, Iran
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Ghayebzadeh M, Taghipour H, Aslani H. Abundance and distribution of microplastics in the sediments of the estuary of seventeen rivers: Caspian southern coasts. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 164:112044. [PMID: 33524830 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Given the increase in plastic production, persistence, and toxicity in the environment, understanding the probability of microplastics (MPs) accumulation in the sediments of the rivers' estuary is urgently needed. In this study, sediments of the estuary of 17 rivers, ending to the Caspian Sea, were evaluated at two depths (0-5 cm and 5-15 cm). Plastic particles were categorized into two groups in terms of size: small MPs and large MPs. The combination of observational techniques, FTIR, and SEM analysis was applied to identify MPs. The mean of MPs in 17 rivers was obtained at a depth of 0 to 15 cm of sediments 350.6 ± 232.6 MP/kg. The fiber was identified as the predominant particles in sediments, and foam-shaped particles were the least amount in the sediment. In terms of polymer structure, polyethylene (PE) (20%) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) (2%) showed the highest and lowest prevalence, respectively. In the current study, the number of MPs was higher than the average of MPs in sediments of recreational-tourist areas and non-tourist areas of the southern Caspian coast. Results from this study indicate that sediments of the rivers' estuary are a hotspot of plastic particle pollution. Therefore, plastic management in the path of the Caspian catchment area of Iran, and cleaning rivers coast and rivers mouth from plastic is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Ghayebzadeh
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Hassan Taghipour
- Health and Environment Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
| | - Hassan Aslani
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
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Ranjbar Jafarabadi A, Mashjoor S, Mohamadjafari Dehkordi S, Riyahi Bakhtiari A, Cappello T. Steroid Fingerprint Analysis of Endangered Caspian Seal ( Pusa caspica) through the Gorgan Bay (Caspian Sea). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:7339-7353. [PMID: 32459473 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c01479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The profile of steroid congeners was evaluated in Caspian seals Pusa caspica by age, sex, and tissue-specific bioaccumulation, and compared with that of abiotic matrices (seawater, surface sediment, and suspended particulate materials, SPMs) from Miankaleh Wildlife/Gorgan Bay, (Caspian Sea, Iran). To identify the level of human fecal contamination, ∑25 sterol congeners were measured in all abiotic/biotic samples, revealing coprostanol, a proxy for human feces, as the most abundant sterol (seawater: 45.1-20.3 ng L-1; surface sediment: 90.2-70.3 ng g-1 dw; SPMs: 187.7-157.6 ng g-1 dw). The quantification of ∑25 sterols in seals followed the order of brain > liver > kidney > heart > blood > spleen > muscle > intestine > blubber > fur, and in both sexes coprostanol level (8.95-21.01% of ∑25s) was higher in blubber and fur, followed by cholesterol in brain, liver, kidney, heart, and blood, cholestanone in intestine and muscle, and β-sitosterol in spleen. Though no age/sex differentiation was observed, the mean concentration of ∑25s was higher in male than females and pup. Different diagnostic ratios revealed sterols originating from human and nonhuman sewage sources. Findings pinpoint the urgent necessity to investigate the ecotoxicity of fecal sterols in mammals, and consequent implications for human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Ranjbar Jafarabadi
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Mazandaran 14115-111, Iran
| | - Sakineh Mashjoor
- Department of Marine biology, Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran
- Marine Pharmaceutical Science Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Shirin Mohamadjafari Dehkordi
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Mazandaran 14115-111, Iran
| | - Alireza Riyahi Bakhtiari
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Mazandaran 14115-111, Iran
| | - Tiziana Cappello
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Messina 98122, Italy
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Mehdinia A, Dehbandi R, Hamzehpour A, Rahnama R. Identification of microplastics in the sediments of southern coasts of the Caspian Sea, north of Iran. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2020; 258:113738. [PMID: 31838395 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2019] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Microplastic (MPs) pollution in the aquatic and terrestrial environments has caught many attentions in the scientific literatures. Currently, no information is available about MPs pollution in Caspian Sea, the largest lake in the world. This study indicates the first report on the MPs pollution in the sediments of the southern Caspian coastal zones, northern Iran. Density separation method was conducted on 17 surficial sediments. The combination of observation techniques including SEM-EDS analysis, polarized light microscopy and Raman micro-spectroscopy were used to identify MPs. The abundance and size of microplastics in the samples ranged between 25 and 330 items/kg and 250-500 μm, respectively. Fibers constituted the most common MPs shape and polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene (PE) were major polymer types in the samples. The distribution of MPs in the study area reflected a patchy and irregular spatial pattern implying that the higher MPs concentration are near mouth of permanent rivers and in the regions with higher level of the fishing and tourism activities. The results showed the wide occurrence of MPs in the sediments of the world's largest lake which extend the knowledge on MPs pollution in the marine system. We also recommend further research on microplastics in different compartments of Caspian Sea to inform policy discussions and the development of appropriate management responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Mehdinia
- Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Science, No. 3, Etemadzadeh St., Fatemi Ave., Tehran 1411813389, Iran.
| | - Reza Dehbandi
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health and Health Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Ali Hamzehpour
- Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Science, No. 3, Etemadzadeh St., Fatemi Ave., Tehran 1411813389, Iran
| | - Reza Rahnama
- Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Science, No. 3, Etemadzadeh St., Fatemi Ave., Tehran 1411813389, Iran
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