Diving into the Depths: Uncovering Microplastics in Norwegian Coastal Sediment Cores.

ABSTRACT: High concentrations of microplastics (MPs) have been documented in the deep-sea surface sediments of the Arctic Ocean. However, studies investigating their high-resolution vertical distribution in sediments from the European waters to the Arctic remain limited. This study examines MPs in five sediment cores from the Norwegian Coastal Current (NCC), encompassing the water-sediment interface and sediment layers up to 19 cm depth. Advanced analytical methods for MP identification down to 11 μm in size were combined with radiometric dating and lithology observations. MPs were present across all sediment cores, including layers predating the introduction of plastics, with concentrations exhibiting significant variation (54-12,491 MP kg^-1). The smallest size class (11 μm) predominated

SUBMITTER: Wu F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11428159 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature