Based on the output of a first call on ecological aspects of microplastics in the marine environment, JPI Oceans (Joint Programming Initiative Healthy and Productive Seas and Oceans) launched a second call in 2018 on the topic ”Sources, distribution & impact of microplastics in the marine environment”. Scientists from 15 countries (JPI Oceans members plus Latvia and Brazil) are working in 6 projects to fill knowledge gaps and deliver societally relevant results on this emerging issue. The projects seek to identify sources of microplastics, to advance analytical methods for identifying smaller micro-and nanoplastics, to monitor their distribution and abundance in marine ecosystems, and understand their effects thereon. The expected results will bring forth information on marine microplastic degradation and help developing concepts to reduce inputs of plastics into the marine environment. The ongoing projects have already provided valuable input to the European Commission’s Technical Group on Marine Litter, which supports and guides the implementation process of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive in close collaboration with EU member states. During this session, the project partners in collaboration with the JPI Oceans Secretariat, will present the recent findings of the funded projects. The aim of our session is to present project outcomes thus far and to discuss with the audience how these scientific results can help policy makers and other user groups take action. Growing scientific evidence on the ubiquity, irreversibility, and long-term persistence of nano- and microplastic pollution in aquatic environments underscores how science-to-policy dialogue should guide corresponding management. In this context, communication and dissemination plays a crucial role to support science-based policy advice. Hence, the JPI Oceans microplastics projects also put special emphasis on public outreach via social media, workshops, stakeholder meetings, popularized publications and awareness raising campaigns. We strive for jointly discussed and agreed solutions to restore and enhance our Ocean, Seas and Waters by contributing to the achievement of goals defined inter alia in the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD – 2008/56/EC), the European Green Deal, the EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters, as well as the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.
Lead Organizer: Jella Kandziora, JPI Oceans (jella.kandziora@jpi-oceans.eu)
Co-organizers:
Aaron Beck, GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel (ajbeck@geomar.de)
Tonia Capuano, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Brazil (toniacapuano@yahoo.it)
Richard Sempere, Université d'Aix-Marseille (richard.sempere@mio.osupytheas.fr)
Patrizia Ziveri, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Patrizia.Ziveri@uab.cat)
Presentations
06:30 PM
An unexpected reservoir of anthropogenic particles within the neuston: the copepod Pontella mediterranea. (5869)
Primary Presenter: Valentina Fagiano, Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares (IEO, CSIC) / Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB) (valentina.fagiano@ieo.csic.es)
Despite its fundamental ecological role, neuston has been understudied worldwide. Within the species inhabiting the sea surface microlayer, we found the family Pontellidae. This family of blue copepods is adapted to living within the first 10 cm of water being constantly exposed to multiple natural and anthropogenic stressors, including the floating anthropogenic particles (APs). Pontellidae represents one of the global most abundant neustonic communities reaching abundances of 600 ind/m3 (Pacific Ocean) and being an important food source for fish and seabirds. Low APs ingestion rates have been described for different copepod species, suggesting a low risk of APs entry into food webs. Here, we have studied the interaction between the pontellid Pontella mediterranea, and APs. By stomach content analysis we evaluated the ingestion of APs and the possible transfer through trophic webs. We confirm low average APs ingestion values (0.11 APs/ind) and frequency (11%), however if the abundance of copepods per m3 is considered (from 41.67 to 1174.83), values become extremely high (45.15 APs/m3). Those values are at least one order of magnitude higher than those reported for the Mediterranean Sea surface waters, ranging from 0.04 to 7.68 APs/m3. Particles found were mainly fibers (72%) made up of cellulose acetate with a polymeric composition similar to polymers found in the lower layers of the Mediterranean water column. Results highlight how this neustonic copepod could represent one of the highest reservoirs of APs within the upper layers of the oceans.
06:30 PM
Analysis techniques for quantifying nano- and microplastic particles and their degradation in the marine environment. The ANDROMEDA JPI-Ocean project (6536)
Primary Presenter: Richard Sempere, CNRS, Aix-Marseille University (richard.sempere@mio.osupytheas.fr)
Plastics are distributed in the ocean along a size continuum ranging from macros to MP (1 μm – 5 mm) and NP (<1 μm) due to their varied primary origin and degradation processes inducing fragmentation of secondary particles. However, analytical methods are still long and costly, and only a few techniques allow to detect NPs efficiently. Also, the processes of degradation and release of organic additives during plastic ageing into the environment still need to be better understood. Here, we present the main results of the JPI-Ocean funded Andromeda project (2020-2023), which focuses on (1) the completion of different types of analyses of MP and NP in the marine environment as well as (2) the degradation of different types of plastic materials (pristine, weathered and synthesized[DH1] ). Approaches are based on hyperspectral imaging, chemical markers and fluorometric detection techniques. Advanced analysis techniques making use of μFTIR, Raman imaging and SEM-EDX (amongst others) were also applied to quantify and characterize MP and NP down to 1 μm, 0.2 μm or lower. Comprehensive degradation studies have been conducted, focussing on the majorly used polymer types including tire wear particles, to study in detail the mechanisms of UV, hyperbaric pressure and microbial degradation, with a specific focus on additive chemical leaching. An effort has also been made to disseminate the results through the publication of specialized documents that are easily accessible to the general public as well as through field operations that empower young citizens.
06:30 PM
FACTS - Fluxes and Fate of Microplastics in Northern European Waters (6245)
Primary Presenter: Jes Vollertsen, Aalborg University (jv@civil.aau.dk)
The JPI-Oceans funded project FACTS (2020-2023) analyses sources, transport, occurrence, and fate of small microplastics (MPs) in northern marine waters. It addresses the transport of MPs from the temperate waters of the southern North Sea to the arctic waters of the Barents Sea, including its distribution on different scales and vertical transport. FACTS is structured around sampling campaigns where MP is quantified by harmonized methods. A month-long expedition was undertaken from the German Bight to the waters south of Svalbard where MPs were sampled in atmosphere, water, marine snow, and sediment. Other large field campaigns were done in the Byfjord, Norway, and in Gullmarn fjord and two adjacent fjord systems in Western Sweden. Several other field campaigns were conducted, some in collaboration with other JPI-Oceans projects. Furthermore, two fish species, tusk and cod, were sampled at corresponding stations. FACTS addressed nanoplastics (NPs) in marine environments. While quantification of NPs in clean matrixes is doable, it is less so in complex ones, and FACTS decided to address some of these issues. FACTS studied tyre and road wear particles, which are theorized to account for most of the plastics directly discharged as MPs. FACTS did this by combining analytical method development, modelling, and measurement in marine waters and sediments. FACTS has created new knowledge and improved our understanding on the sources, transport, occurrence, and fate of small microplastics in the northern marine waters. Results from FACTS are presented at the conference.
06:30 PM
BEYOND PLANKTON NETS TO MEASURE THE VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION OF MICROPLASTICS IN THE UPPER WATER COLUMN – A CASE STUDY IN THE BYFJORDEN (NORWAY) (6574)
Primary Presenter: Laura Simon-Sanchez, Aalborg University (lasisa@build.aau.dk)
The reported microplastic (MP) levels in the surface waters of our rivers, estuaries, and oceans span several orders of magnitude. However, the inter-comparison of these values is constrained by a lack of harmonization of the methods for sampling, extracting, and identifying these pollutants. Typically, nets are used for sampling floating MPs, limiting their quantification to the mesh size, predominantly 333 µm. Consequently, the presence of smaller MPs has mainly been overlooked, leading to underestimating their presence in aquatic environments. Distribution models and scarce in-situ observations suggest that MP concentrations and particle size decrease along the first meters of the water column. In this study, we investigate the MP vertical distribution using a novel filtration device to sample MPs (>10 µm) in the air-surface interface and subsurface waters (5 m depth) simultaneously. During a JPI-Ocean FACTS cruise, sampling stations were selected following a gradient from high anthropogenic pressure areas to remote ones in the Byfjorden (Norway). MPs were extracted following a multi-step treatment, analyzed using state-of-the-art µFT-IR spectroscopy, and systematically identified using the software siMPle as well as pyr-GC/MS to quantify Tire Wear Particles (TWPs) content. Our findings contribute to understanding the dispersion of small MPs in the upper water column, providing crucial insights into the role of size- and polymer-dependent mechanisms influencing their vertical transport.
06:30 PM
Fish FACTS – Microplastics in fillet and liver of tusk (Brosme brosme) and cod (Gadus morhua) from the North Sea to the Barents Sea (6795)
Primary Presenter: Tanja Kögel, Institute of Marine Research (tanja.kogel@hi.no)
The JPIO-project FACTS, Fluxes and Fate of Microplastics in Northern European Waters, addresses the occurrence and transport of microplastics in water, sediments, air and fish. These matrices were sampled at designed stations to gain knowledge on co-occurrence and distribution modeling. Here, we present the results of the occurrence of microplastics in the tissues of two species of wild fish. Cod was chosen as a fish representing both widespread food and an indicator for environmental contamination. The benthic feeder tusk is known to accumulate especially high levels of other contaminants and has a rather stationary behavior. Therefore, we analyze whether this species also accumulates microplastics. Fish were sampled in collaboration with commercial fishermen, scientific cruises, and private fishermen. At ten sites from south of Svalbard via Lofoten, west of Shetland, Bergen fjord system and down to Gøteborg, approximately 20 fish per station of either cod or tusk were caught wild. For three stations both species were caught. Samples of fillet and liver were degraded in a clean laboratory for microplastics analysis at the Institute of Marine Research and analyzed in pooled sample parallels with both ambient air and procedural controls by micro-FTIR for a size range of 10 micrometers to the maximum particle size found. Selected samples will also be analyzed for tyre wear particles by py-CG/MS, for plastic additives by LC-MS-Orbitrap, and for microplastic down to 1 micrometer by Raman-analysis.
06:30 PM
The JPI-Oceans i-plastic project: dispersion and impacts of micro- and nano-plastics in the tropical and temperate oceans, from regional land-ocean interface to the open ocean (7335)
Primary Presenter: P Ziveri, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (patrizia.ziveri@uab.cat)
Recently the acceleration of marine microplastic pollution has increased the need to develop novel collaborative tools to address synergistic drivers affecting coastal and oceanic ecosystems. One of the main hurdles is the lack of a standardized, comparable and integrated approach for smaller (micro- and nano-) plastic pollution studies. The i-plastic project aims to assess the dispersion and impacts of micro- and nano-plastics in the tropical and temperate oceans, from the regional land-ocean interface to the open ocean. We quantified the seasonal transport and dispersion in three selected estuaries and adjacent coastal waters and shorelines under distinct flow and climate regimes. In-situ seasonal monitoring was performed in the selected systems of the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. The impacts on distinct commercially valuable species from the target regions were addressed through in-situ observations and laboratory experiments. New approaches were implemented to detect and characterize nano-plastics in different environmental matrices and ascertain processes of macro-plastic fragmentation. Finally, the data generated during the i-plastic project were used to feed regional and ocean-scale models to trace the dispersion of microplastics in the selected coastal systems, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. The i-plastic project provided missing knowledge concerning the dynamics and fate of plastics in the ocean and the effects of microplastics on the ecosystems of different target areas and worldwide, by making projections to understand the impacts and dispersion of micro- and nano-plastics in the next decades.
SS081P JPI Oceans Joint Action: Ecological Aspects of Microplastics – From Scientific Findings to Political Action
Description
Time: 6:30 PM
Date: 7/6/2023
Room: Mezzanine