Can a Sediment Core Reveal the Plastic Age? Microplastic Preservation in a Coastal Sedimentary Record.

ABSTRACT: The seafloor is the major sink for microplastic (MP) pollutants. However, there is a lack of robust data on the historical evolution of MP pollution in the sediment compartment, particularly the sequestration and burial rate of small MPs. By combining a palaeoceanographic approach and state-of-the-art analytical methods for MP identification down to 11 μm in size, we present the first high-resolution reconstruction of MP pollution from an undisturbed sediment core collected in the NW Mediterranean Sea. Furthermore, we investigate the fate of MPs once buried in the sediments by evaluating the changes in the size distribution of the MPs and the weathering status of the polyolefins, polyethylene, and polypropylene. Our results indicate that the MP mass sequestered in the sediment compartment

SUBMITTER: Simon-Sanchez L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9730841 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature