Abundance, distribution and characteristics of microplastics in the North and South Atlantic Ocean

Regitze Andersen; Astrid Louise Harsaae; Antonia Kellner; Abigail Smyth; Tia Amalie Rosenkrantz Westermann; Mattias Green; Jes Vollertsen; Kristian Syberg; Claudia Lorenz

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.117217

Abundance, distribution and characteristics of microplastics in the North and South Atlantic Ocean

Mar Pollut Bull. 2024 Dec;209(Pt B):117217. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.117217. Epub 2024 Nov 9.

Authors

Regitze Andersen¹, Astrid Louise Harsaae², Antonia Kellner³, Abigail Smyth⁴, Tia Amalie Rosenkrantz Westermann⁵, Mattias Green⁶, Jes Vollertsen⁷, Kristian Syberg⁸, Claudia Lorenz⁹

Affiliations

¹ Nordic Ocean Watch Denmark, Johan Kellers Vej 21, 1(st) floor, left, 2450 Copenhagen, SW, Denmark; Copenhagen University, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Dyrlægevej 16, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Nordic Ocean Watch Denmark, Johan Kellers Vej 21, 1(st) floor, left, 2450 Copenhagen, SW, Denmark.
³ Nordic Ocean Watch Denmark, Johan Kellers Vej 21, 1(st) floor, left, 2450 Copenhagen, SW, Denmark; Copenhagen University, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
⁴ School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge LL59 5AB, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ Aarhus University, Department of Biology, Ny Munkegade 114-116, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
⁶ School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge LL59 5AB, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁷ Aalborg University, Department of the Built Environment, Thomas Manns Vej 23, 9220 Aalborg East, Denmark. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁸ Roskilde University, Department of Science and Environment, Universitetsvej 1, Building 11.2, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁹ Aalborg University, Department of the Built Environment, Thomas Manns Vej 23, 9220 Aalborg East, Denmark; Roskilde University, Department of Science and Environment, Universitetsvej 1, Building 11.2, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39522395
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.117217

Abstract

Microplastics are both pervasive in the marine environment and highly detrimental to it. In this study, we investigate the abundance, distribution, and characteristics of microplastics in surface waters on a transect spanning 6 major ocean current regions in the Atlantic Ocean from Scheveningen (the Netherlands) to Montevideo (Uruguay). 50 surface trawls were completed with a manta net (mesh 500 μm, cod 333 μm) and particles were analyzed in the laboratory including polymer type identification with ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. An overall abundance of 0.011 ± 0.017 items/m³ was found with a significant correlation between microplastic abundance and distance to coast. The dominant polymer types were HD-PE (63.5 %) and PP (28.3 %), shape was fragments (88.6 %), and color was white (59.1 %). We conclude that this study's findings reaffirm the widespread presence of microplastic pollution in the Atlantic Ocean, contributing data from consistently under-sampled regions such as the South Atlantic.

Keywords: ATR-FTIR spectroscopy; Atlantic Ocean; Comprehensive transect; Floating microplastic; Manta trawl; Marine litter.

MeSH terms

Atlantic Ocean
Environmental Monitoring*
Microplastics* / analysis
Netherlands
Plastics / analysis
Seawater / chemistry
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Microplastics
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Plastics