Plume extends to a large "hotspot" off Charlestown coast
By STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY
Concentration of all types of microplastic and anthropogenic microfiber pollution found in this study overlaid on a heat map showing the concentration of shipping traffic (all types) and a heatmap showing population density. In all cases, red indicates higher numbers. Credit: Staffordshire University
Forensic and environmental specialists have collaborated to create a new scientific technique for identifying microplastic pollution ‘hotspots’ in open waters.
The technique was tested in New York’s Long
Island Sound through a collaboration involving Staffordshire University, The
Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean, and Central Wyoming College.
Professor Claire Gwinnett from Staffordshire
University explained: “Long Island Sound was a location of interest because it
has lots of factors that can cause pollution. It is an estuary that has high
populations of wildlife, it is a busy transport route frequented by cargo
ships, and is a popular fishing area. Located adjacent to New York City, it is
also highly populated and a major tourist destination.”
Identifying Pollution Hotspots
Funded, in part, by the National Geographic
Society, the study saw samples collected from the deck of the 60′ oceanographic
sailing research vessel, American Promise.
The team took 1 litre ‘grab samples’ of surface water every 3 miles from the
East River along the middle of Long Island Sound to The Race, where it meets
Rhode Island Sound.
Grab sampling allows analysis of specific
locations, with the researchers applying a statistical approach to identify
hotspots where microplastics were most in evidence.
“People often use the term ‘hotspot’ but it is not scientifically defined. Previous studies have used largely subjective methods, without the use of any rules or thresholds that differentiate hotspots from non-hotspots,” Professor Gwinnett commented. “Our study proposed a simple yet objective method for determining hotspots using standard deviation values. This is the first time that this has been done.”
Two primary and two secondary hotspots were
observed, near either end of the sampling area. There is potentially a
“bottleneck” effect in the narrower zones or, conversely, a dilution effect in
the wider section of Long Island Sound. Similarly, hotspots were observed as
being close to or in line with a river mouth, specifically the Thames and
Connecticut Rivers.
Overlaying heat maps of various types of
shipping and vessel traffic with the microparticle heat map from this study
show potential similarities. In particular, between areas of high recreational
and passenger vessel traffic and higher microplastic concentration.
Implications and Further Research
Professor Gwinnett said: “We need to consider
factors that might influence these results, such as population, geography, and
human use. The identified hotspots, however, were found in both densely
populated areas and adjacent to some of the least densely populated land areas
surrounding Long Island Sound.
“The first step in combatting this type of
pollution is by characterizing microparticle samples so that we can begin to
understand where they might have come from.”
97% of samples contained man-made
particulates. Microparticles were classified as 76.14% fibers and 23.86%
fragments. 47.76% of the fibers were synthetic and 52.24% were non-synthetic.
Forensic science approaches developed by
Staffordshire University were used to analyze the microparticles – including
type, color, shape, material, presence of delusterant, and width – which
identified 30 unique categories of potential sources of pollution.
Rachael Miller, Expedition lead and Rozalia
Project Founder, explained: “Unlike larger fragments of plastic, which may
exhibit clear features that easily identify its original sources, such as
bottle cap ridges or a partial logo, this is generally very difficult for
microparticles unless an analysis approach which fully characterizes the
particle is used.
“Identifying a specific type of item from
which a microparticle came from e.g. pair of jeans, carpet, tire or personal
hygiene product increases the likelihood of discovering the mechanism for
transport to the environment. That, in turn, increases opportunities to prevent
a subset of microplastic pollution.”
The authors are now calling for reference
databases of potential pollutants of waterways. PhD researcher Amy Osbourne
specializes in forensic fiber analysis at Staffordshire University after
progressing from the undergraduate degree in Forensic Investigation.
She said: “We cannot confidently identify the
sources of pollution without being able to cross reference samples against
large, easily searched known provenance databases. Such databases are already
used in forensic science when identifying sources of evidence found at crime
scenes. For example, we might begin with a database of all the different types
of fishing nets or tarpaulins that we know are commonly used in areas like Long
Island Sound.”
Professor Gwinnett added: “While more
research is needed to fully understand microplastics concentrations and
implications of this pollution, the very presence is enough to engage in
solution development and solution-deployment.”
Reference: “Microplastic and anthropogenic
microfiber pollution in the surface waters of the East River and Long Island
Sound, USA” by Rachael Z. Miller, Brooke Winslow, Kirsten Kapp, Amy Osborne and
Claire Gwinnett, 27 December 2023, Regional Studies in Marine
Science.
DOI:
10.1016/j.rsma.2023.103360