Low prevalence of microplastic contamination in the bottom sediments and deep-sea waters of the Bransfield strait, Antarctica

Gabriel Enrique De-la-Torre*, Ana D. Forero López, Carolina V. Colombo, Guido N. Rimondino, Fabio E. Malanca, Martha Barahona, Luis Santillán

*Autor correspondiente de este trabajo

Producción científica: Contribución a una revistaArtículorevisión exhaustiva

1 Cita (Scopus)

Resumen

Despite the remoteness of the Antarctic continent and Southern Ocean, microplastic (MPs) contamination has been evidenced in recent years. However, the deep-sea compartments of the Southern Ocean are yet to be investigated. In the present study, we conducted a baseline MP assessment of the deep-sea waters and bottom sediments of the Bransfield Strait, Antarctica. A low abundance of suspected MPs was found. The average MP abundances in bottom sediments and water samples were 0.09 MP/g (range of 0–0.2 MP/g) and 7.00 MP/L (range of 0–16 MP/L), respectively. The majority of the particles were fibers identified as cellulose, although polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) was also detected. These results suggest low MP contamination levels in the Southern Ocean's deepest environmental compartments. However, future studies must aim to investigate the smallest MP fractions and, if possible, nanoplastic (<1 μm) contamination in these remote compartments.

Idioma originalInglés
Número de artículo143310
PublicaciónChemosphere
Volumen364
DOI
EstadoPublicada - set. 2024

Huella

Profundice en los temas de investigación de 'Low prevalence of microplastic contamination in the bottom sediments and deep-sea waters of the Bransfield strait, Antarctica'. En conjunto forman una huella única.

Citar esto