Classification of marine microdebris: A review and case study on fish from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

ABSTRACT: Marine debris, and in particular plastic pollution, is ubiquitous throughout global marine environments. Here, we present a classification of marine microdebris (i.e. debris between 0.1 μm and <5 mm) tailored to represent synthetic, semi-synthetic and naturally-derived items. The specific aim of this classification is to introduce a level of consistency in the higher-level characterisation of marine microdebris, thereby improving the overall reporting on marine microdebris contamination. We first conducted an extensive literature review on the accumulation of ingested debris in fish to identify discrepancies in marine microdebris reporting as a basis for the new classification. The review reveals the diverse nature of ingested marine microdebris, including items that are non-plastic but of

SUBMITTER: Kroon FJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6219575 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature