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Tsuchiya M, Kitahashi T, Nakajima R, Oguri K, Kawamura K, Nakamura A, Nakano K, Maeda Y, Murayama M, Chiba S, Fujikura K. Distribution of microplastics in bathyal- to hadal-depth sediments and transport process along the deep-sea canyon and the Kuroshio Extension in the Northwest Pacific. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2024; 199:115466. [PMID: 37806825 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115466] [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: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Understanding microplastic (MP) behavior in oceans is crucial for reducing marine plastic pollution. However, the complex process underlying MP transportation to the deep seafloor remains unknown despite the deep sea being considered its major sink. We focused on MP distribution in Sagami Bay (adjacent to highly populated areas of Japan), the plate triple junction connected through the Sagami Trough, and the abyssal plain immediately below the Kuroshio Extension. We observed the highest number of MPs in the abyssal stations, more than previously reported. The polymer types and aspect ratio of MPs in the abyssal stations significantly differed from those in the bathyal/hadal stations. The study suggests that MPs accumulated in the open ocean surface layer sink to the abyssal plains immediately below it, while MPs from land sources accumulate in the bathyal depth and are transported to the hadal depth near the coast through turbidity currents along the submarine canyon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masashi Tsuchiya
- Research Institute for Global Change (RIGC), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan.
| | - Tomo Kitahashi
- Research Institute for Global Change (RIGC), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan; KANSO Technos Co., Ltd., 14 Kandahigashimatsushita-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0042, Japan
| | - Ryota Nakajima
- Research Institute for Global Change (RIGC), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan
| | - Kazumasa Oguri
- Research Institute for Global Change (RIGC), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan; Danish Center for Hadal Research (HADAL) and Nordcee, Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Kiichiro Kawamura
- Graduate School of Science and Technology for Innovation, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi-city, Yamaguchi 753-8512, Japan
| | - Akimu Nakamura
- Graduate School of Science and Technology for Innovation, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi-city, Yamaguchi 753-8512, Japan
| | - Kengo Nakano
- Graduate School of Science and Technology for Innovation, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi-city, Yamaguchi 753-8512, Japan
| | - Yosaku Maeda
- Institute for Marine-Earth Exploration and Engineering Division (MarE3), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan
| | - Masafumi Murayama
- Center for Advanced Marine Core Research, Kochi University, Monobe, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8502, Japan; Faculty of Agriculture and Marine Science, Kochi University, Monobe, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8502, Japan
| | - Sanae Chiba
- Research Institute for Global Change (RIGC), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan; North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES), 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, BC, Canada V8L 4B2
| | - Katsunori Fujikura
- Research Institute for Global Change (RIGC), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan
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Alves FL, Pinheiro LM, Bueno C, Agostini VO, Perez L, Fernandes EHL, Weschenfelder J, Leonhardt A, Domingues M, Pinho GLL, García-Rodríguez F. The use of microplastics as a reliable chronological marker of the Anthropocene onset in Southeastern South America. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 857:159633. [PMID: 36280064 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) represent an emergent contamination marker. For this reason, we analyzed the vertical distribution of MPs in six sediment cores retrieved from the Patos-Mirim System, the world's largest coastal lagoonal system. The sediment cores span from mid Holocene to present times according to both radiocarbon and lead dating and are located close to both urban/industrial and agricultural regions. We identified a basal pre-disturbance MP-free zone in all cores and an uppermost contaminated 70-cm-zone, where a general increasing trend in MPs content resembling the human anthropization process was recorded. The predominant format of MPs was fiber, followed by fragments. The most commonly identified polymers were rayon, PVC, acrylate, polycarbonate and cellophane. Urban/industrial and agricultural activities were shown as clear sources of MPs, leading to comparable MPs concentration values in the sediment cores. Thus, MPs are collectively a reliable indicator of the Anthropocene onset, and in the Patos-Mirim System the most appropriate chronology can be assigned to the beginning of 1970s, matching the intensification of anthropogenic activities in the area.
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Affiliation(s)
- F L Alves
- Instituto de Oceanografia - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil
| | - L M Pinheiro
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, EX4 4QD, United Kingdom
| | - C Bueno
- Centro Universitario Regional del Este (CURE), Universidad de la República, Rocha, Uruguay
| | - V O Agostini
- Regenera Moléculas do Mar, Prédio 43421, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500 - 117 - Agronomia, Porto Alegre, RS 91501-970, Brazil
| | - L Perez
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, EX4 4QD, United Kingdom
| | - E H L Fernandes
- Instituto de Oceanografia - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil
| | - J Weschenfelder
- Centro de Estudos de Geologia Costeira e Oceânica, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - A Leonhardt
- Instituto de Oceanografia - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil
| | - M Domingues
- Instituto de Ciências Humanas e da Informação (ICHI), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil
| | - G L L Pinho
- Instituto de Oceanografia - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil
| | - F García-Rodríguez
- Instituto de Oceanografia - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil; College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, EX4 4QD, United Kingdom.
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Martin J, Lusher AL, Nixon FC. A review of the use of microplastics in reconstructing dated sedimentary archives. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 806:150818. [PMID: 34637878 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Buried microplastics (plastics, <5 mm) have been documented within the sediment column of both marine and lacustrine environments. However, the number of peer-review studies published on the subject remains limited and confidence in data reliability varies considerably. Here we critically review the state of the literature on microplastic loading inventories in dated sedimentary and soil profiles. We conclude that microplastics are being sequestered across a variety of sedimentary environments globally, at a seemingly increasing rate. However, microplastics are also readily mobilised both within depositional settings and the workplace. Microplastics are commonly reported from sediments dated to before the onset of plastic production and researcher-derived microplastics frequently contaminate samples. Additionally, the diversity of microplastic types and issues of constraining source points has so far hindered interpretation of depositional settings. Therefore, further research utilizing high quality data sets, greater levels of reporting transparency, and well-established methodologies from the geosciences will be required for any validation of microplastics as a sediment dating method or in quantifying temporally resolved microplastic loading inventories in sedimentary sinks with confidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jake Martin
- Department of Geography, Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway.
| | - Amy L Lusher
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Oslo, Norway; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Francis Chantel Nixon
- Department of Geography, Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
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