Microplastics in the maximum chlorophyll layer along a north-south transect in the Mediterranean Sea in comparison with zooplankton concentrations

Carlotti, Francois; Gerigny, Olivia; Bienvenu, Dorian; Ravel, Christophe; Fierro-Gonzalez, Pamela; Guilloux, Loic; Makhlouf, Nouha; Onrubia, Javier Tesan; Pagano, Marc

Abstract

The aim of this study was to characterize and quantify microplastics (MPs) at the chlorophyll maximum layer (CML), around 30 to 60 m depth, during a cruise dedicated to the study of contaminants in plankton, the MERITE-HIPPOCAMPE project, along a north-south transect in the western Mediterranean Sea (Tedetti et al., 2023). Plankton were collected by horizontal net tows in this layer using a multinet Hydrobios Midi equipped with 60 mu m mesh-size nets. The collected plankton were fractionated through a sieve column for various later contaminant measurements and for zooplankton analysis (Fierro-Gonz ' alez et al., 2023). For all stations, samples were also fully examined for microplastics (MPs) for fractions >300 mu m. MPs were found at all stations in the CML layer (mean: 42.9 +/- 45.4 MPs m-3), of which 96 +/- 4 % were fibers. The ratios of mesozooplankton/MPs and detritus/MPs in this CML were respectively 223 +/- 315 and 2544 +/- 2268. These data are analyzed together with MPs concentrations from sea- surface sampled with a 300 mu m net-size Manta net at the same stations. Overall, our observations highlight the very high density of fibers at the CML, mainly associated with aggregates, raising the hypothesis of their interactions with marine snow. Therefore, the importance of marine snow and vertical layering will have to be considered in future MP distribution modelling efforts.

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Título según WOS: ID WOS:001106822400001 Not found in local WOS DB
Título de la Revista: MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
Volumen: 196
Editorial: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
Fecha de publicación: 2023
DOI:

10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115614

Notas: ISI