Comparison between manta trawl and in situ pump filtration methods, and guidance for visual identification of microplastics in surface waters.

ABSTRACT: Owing to the development and adoption of a variety of methods for sampling and identifying microplastics, there is now data showing the presence of microplastics in surface waters from all over the world. The difference between the methods, however, hampers comparisons, and to date, most studies are qualitative rather than quantitative. In order to allow for a quantitative comparison of microplastics abundance, it is crucial to understand the differences between sampling methods. Therefore, a manta trawl and an in situ filtering pump were compared during realistic, but controlled, field tests. Identical microplastic analyses of all replicates allowed the differences between the methods with respect to (1) precision, (2) concentrations, and (3) composition to be assessed. The results show t

SUBMITTER: Karlsson TM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7028838 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature