Abstract
Accumulation of microplastics in aquatic environments is an issue of emerging concern. Initially, research focused on marine systems. However, recent studies also investigate the abundance of microplastics in freshwater environments. Rivers connect terrestrial with marine ecosystems and contribute a considerable share of macro- and microplastics to the oceans. A previous study found a large amount of micro-spheres in Dessau downstream the river mouth of the Mulde. Therefore, the objective of this research was to examine whether the Mulde river with its highly industrialized catchment contributes to the microplastic pollution of the Elbe. Sediment (Van Veen grab sampler) and water samples (filter cascade with the smallest mesh size 50 μm and nets with the smallest mesh size 150 μm) were taken from the Elbe river up- and downstream the confluence with the Mulde. After extensive sample preparation, we examined the samples under a digital microscope and determined polymer types by pyrolysis Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (pyr-GC-MS). The amount of primary microplastics increased in sediment and water samples just downstream the confluence. Those microplastics originate probably from the Mulde. We measured larger amounts and different shapes of microplastics in filter cascades that have a smaller mesh size compared to the nets.
Highlights
Plastic became a mass product in the second half of the 20th century and has changed almost all areas of our everyday life since
The numbers of fibres, films, and fragments remained rather low in both locations (27 presumable microplastic particles kg−1 or less)
We found substantially more fibres in the cascade than in the plankton net (188 versus 15 presumable microplastic particles m−3 Figure 3 and Supplementary Figure S1)
Summary
Plastic became a mass product in the second half of the 20th century and has changed almost all areas of our everyday life since . Littering and uncontrolled disposal of discarded plastic products threaten the environment because plastic is resistant and poorly biodegradable (Thompson et al, 2004; Geyer et al, 2017). Studies on macroplastics and plastic waste are common in the scientific literature. Microplastics, usually defined as plastic particles smaller than 5 mm (Arthur et al, 2009), has only become a major research topic since the early 2000s (Thompson et al, 2004). Microplastics is an umbrella term and encompasses different categories, e.g., polymer types, shapes (amorphous, fibres, spheres, films, and foams) and origins (primary and secondary microplastic)
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