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
10:30 AM
Vertical fluxes of microplastics and other anthropogenic particles measured using moored sediment traps in two Arctic glacial fjords (Svalbard archipelago) (4999)
Primary Presenter: Giuseppe Suaria, CNR-ISMAR (giuseppesuaria@gmail.com)
The magnitude of microplastics (MPs) sinking flux and its temporal variability is crucial to understanding the global fate of MPs in the ocean. MPs have been reported in deep Arctic sediments as well as in the water column; however, the mechanisms driving their vertical transport are still unclear, and little is known about MPs sinking dynamics and export to the seafloor. Within the JPI-Oceans FACTS project, we measured MPs vertical fluxes along the water column in two Arctic glacial fjords (Kongsfjorden and Krossfjorden) located in the Svalbard archipelago. Sinking particles were collected using moored sediment traps over the course of two years. The moorings were located in strategic areas from both a hydrological and depositional point of view, where Atlantic water masses entering the fjords interact with glacial melt water fronts. In Krossfjorden, a single integrated sample was collected at 110 m below sea level, while in Kongsfjorden, a time-series sediment trap with 12 receiving cups was placed at 61 m depth on September 2021. The interval of this trap rotation was set at ~30 days allowing the study of monthly and seasonal variations in MPs deposition rates. MPs were extracted from the samples through multi-enzymatic digestion, catalyzed oxidation and density separation, and analyzed using state-of-the-art FPA-µFTIR-Imaging. These results shed new light on the temporal variability of MPs vertical fluxes in the Arctic region, providing crucial information about the mechanisms behind their export and removal from the sea surface to the seafloor.
10:45 AM
MICROPLASTIC AND TIRE WEAR PARTICLES AT THE AIR/SEA INTERFACE – FIRST MASS BASED DATA FOR AIR, SEA SURFACE MICROLAYER AND UNDERLYING WATER IN SWEDISH FJORDS (5365)
Primary Presenter: Isabel Goßmann, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg (isabel.gossmann@uni-oldenburg.de)
Microplastics (MP) including tire wear particles (TWP) are omnipresent in marine environments. Mass-based data, transport and effects in the marine air/sea interface, covering also the sea surface microlayer (SML), are rarely investigated. The SML is an ubiquitously occurring, mainly organic film thinner than 1 mm suspected to accumulate MP. Air, SML and underlying water (ULW, 1 m depth) were sampled simultaneously with a remote-controlled research catamaran in areas with varying anthropogenic impact (urban, industrial and rural). MP identification and quantification were conducted with pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry based on polymer specific backbone-related clusters, indicated by the prefix "C" including amongst others polyethylene-terephthalate (C-PET), polymethyl methacrylate (C-PMMA) and TWP. All air and water samples contained MP. C-PET and clusters of polycarbonate (C-PC) were dominant in the air (max. 50 ng MP m-3). Water samples (max. 11 µg MP L-1) showed mainly C-PMMA, TWP and C-PET. Clusters of polyethylene, polypropylene, C-PET and TWP accumulated in the SML, while C-PMMA and C-PC dominated the ULW. MP occurrences were related to anthropogenic influence. Mass loads in urban and industrial areas exceeded the rural ones. No evident enrichment of MP in the SML was observed. Vertical distribution in the air/sea interface was based on both density and polymer sources. The main entry of TWP into the marine environment probably occurs via surface runoff, while C-PET is entrained through atmospheric transport. Ship traffic might contribute to C-PMMA pollution.
11:00 AM
Occurrence and backtracking of microplastics in Northern Atlantic Air (5421)
Primary Presenter: Barbara Scholz-Bottcher, University of Oldenburg (bsb@icbm.de)
By now microplastic (MP) pollution is shown to be omnipresent. Meanwhile, the database for many environmental compartments is gradually becoming solid, except for remote areas such as the oceans. The very few studies here are exclusively particle-based. Mass-based ones do not exist so far. The presented study is part of the JPI-Oceans FACTS dealing with occurrence and transport of MP up to northern waters. During a research cruise in 2021 seven transects along the Norwegian coast up to Bear Island were actively sampled on the observation deck during steaming. The performance of two different sampling devices was evaluated. MP analysis and mass quantification was conducted using a by now established Py-GC/MS method referring to polymer clusters related to base polymer building blocks. With careful reference to available field and laboratory blank values, MP was detected even in remote Artic areas with concentrations up to 37.5 ng MP m<sup>-3</sup> air and a clear predominance of the PET cluster. In addition, car tire tread, and clusters of PS, PP, and PUR were detected more often. Using "backtracking" models (HYSPLIT and FLEXPART) an attempt was made to reconstruct the origin of the air masses and to gain information about the origin of the measured MP from it. In this context, the re-emission of MP from the ocean into the overlying air layers appears to be a relevant source. Likewise, the long-range transport of PET particles appears to be substantial. The range of polymers detected, but also the risk of contamination, was closely linked to the particular sampling method used.
11:15 AM
MODELLING THE TRANSPORT PATHWAYS OF PLASTIC IN AND AWAY FROM NORWEGIAN COASTAL WATERS (6477)
Primary Presenter: Prithvinath Madduri, University of Bergen (prithvimadduri@gmail.com)
The Norwegian coastal current (NCC) is the main pathway of surface water out of the North Sea, making the Norwegian coastline highly exposed to buoyant marine debris. The NCC can bring litter from land bordering southern parts of the North Sea, as well as litter from Atlantic waters, which are a major contributor to the water masses of the North Sea. Due to the complex geometry of the coastline, Norwegian fjords can act as a sink for marine litter (Deng., 2015). In this work an assessment of the contribution of transboundary plastics passing along the coast of western Norway is made through numerical modelling. Emissions of buoyant plastics (Meijer et al., 2021) from major rivers in Europe are used as an input to a Lagrangian particle model, with background currents from a 4 km resolution model of the North Atlantic (Lein et al., 2013), to compute the discharge fluxes of plastics ending up in the NCC. We then use the computed particle fluxes from the NCC as input to a Lagrangian model fed with currents from a hydrodynamical model with 160 m resolution (Dalsøren et al., 2020) to track the pathways into and out of the fjords near Bergen in western Norway. We find estimates for the fraction of plastics moving into the fjords, and establish transboundary connectivity metrics for selected regions. We also assess the relative influence of windage, ocean currents and other oceanic processes known to be important for far field and intermediate scale transport. The results are of relevance to agencies working on laws for trans-national pollution and with ocean clean-up initiatives.
11:30 AM
HOW MANY SAMPLES TO TELL THE TRUTH? GRID SAMPLING TO UNDERSTAND THE DISTRIBUTION OF MICROPLASTIC AND TIRE WEAR PARTICLES IN SEABED SEDIMENTS (6767)
Primary Presenter: Jeanette Lykkemark, Aalborg University (jly@build.aau.dk)
When monitoring microplastic (MP) and tire wear particles (TWP) in marine sediments, the sample analysed is meant to be representative. However, is only a single grab enough to represent their concentration on the seabed? In this study, we assess the MP and TWP distribution variability on the seabed by sampling two grids of approx. 1 km2 located in Danish waters. We collected respectively 13 and 16 samples. The aim was to understand how many samples are needed to represent the mean concentration and the uncertainty compared to collecting a single grab. To extract MPs and TWPs from the sediments, samples underwent pre-oxidation, density separation, incubation by surfactants followed by multiple enzymatic digestions, Fenton oxidation, and further density separation. Extracts were analysed by FPA-µFTIR imaging for the identification of MPs and Pyr-GC/MS for TWP. The first technique provides MPs counts and allows for mass estimation. The latter technique quantifies TWP-mass but not particles’ number. The preliminary results showed that the first grid had the MP concentration ranging from 250 and 24848 µg/kg dw, while TWP varied between 58 and 35197 µg/kg dw. Initial results indicate that the variability of the second grid is of similar order. This study indicates that a single grab sample does not represent the concentration over a small area like 1 km2. However, multiple samples are needed to fully map the content of MP and TWP at the sampled location. This study contributes significantly to providing guidelines for sampling strategies within the MSFD and OSPAR guidelines.
11:45 AM
MICROPLASTICS FLOATING IN AN URBAN FJORD – COMPLEMENTARY SAMPLING WITH A NEUSTON NET AND A PUMP-FILTRATION DEVICE IN THE LIMFJORD, DENMARK (6976)
Primary Presenter: Claudia Lorenz, Aalborg University (clo@build.aau.dk)
Microplastics (MPs, <5 mm) are frequently detected in surface waters all over the world. Coastal waters, including urban fjords, are subjected to many potential sources of MP pollution. As such, the Limfjord in Northern Denmark is an interesting case study connecting two large marine water bodies, the North Sea, and the Kattegat. In this study, we took samples in eight areas of the Limfjord’s surface water deploying both a neuston net (300 µm mesh) and a pump-filtration device, UFOsystem (10 and 300 µm filters) to compare these approaches and identify potential correlations. MPs were extracted following a harmonized approach with a multi-step enzymatic-oxidative treatment, state-of-the-art µFTIR spectroscopy analysis, and systematic identification utilizing the software siMPle. We characterized MPs regarding their polymer type, size, shape, and for polyolefins weathering status. Additionally, we also investigated the potential of MPs smaller than the mesh size of the net (300 µm) to be incorporated in aggregates and compared the abundance and composition with the ones from the filtration device. Overall, preliminary results show that larger MPs (>300 µm) are by a factor of 1000 less abundant and less diverse in terms of their polymer composition than small MPs (10-300 µm). However, in both cases, the most dominant polymer types were polyester, polyethylene, and polypropylene. Thus, our findings contribute to the considerations of representative sampling and quantification of biologically relevant MPs (regarding size and polymer type) considering ecological risk assessment.
SS081B JPI Oceans Joint Action: Ecological Aspects of Microplastics – From Scientific Findings to Political Action
Description
Time: 10:30 AM
Date: 6/6/2023
Room: Sala Palma