Microplastics pollution in sediments of the Thames and Medway estuaries, UK: Organic matter associations and predominance of polyethylene.
Mar Pollut Bull
; 208: 116971, 2024 Sep 14.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39278174
ABSTRACT
Microplastics at 10 sites along a 77 km transect of the river Thames estuary (UK) and 5 sites along 29 km of the Medway estuary were separated from sediment and analysed by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Microplastics were observed at all sites. Highest Thames concentrations were in urban London between Chelsea and West Thurrock (average 170.80 particles kg-1 ± 46.64, 3.36 mg kg-1 ± 1.79 by mass), mid-outer estuary sites were two to three times lower. Microplastics were slightly dominated by particles (54 %) over fibres (45 %), including polymer types ranked polyethylene > PET > polypropylene > polyamide. Medway microplastics decreased seaward, with one urban-municipal site impacted by a combined-sewer-overflow containing a high proportion of fibres (Rochester, 484 particles kg-1, 7.39 mg kg-1 by mass). Microplastic abundance was correlated to organic carbon (TOC %) (R2 of 0.71 Thames and 0.96 Medway), but not sediment particle size. Sedimentary microplastics accumulation in the Thames was controlled by urbanisation-distance, and site hydrodynamics.
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1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Mar Pollut Bull
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Reino Unido
Pais de publicación:
Reino Unido