Show simple item record

dc.contributor.authorAnderson, RJ
dc.contributor.authorTurner, A
dc.date.accessioned2024-04-24T09:52:46Z
dc.date.available2024-04-24T09:52:46Z
dc.date.issued2024-01-20
dc.identifier.issn0048-9697
dc.identifier.issn1879-1026
dc.identifier.other168535
dc.identifier.urihttps://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/22299
dc.description.abstract

Although microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous contaminants that have been extensively studied in the marine setting, there remain gaps in our understanding of their transport and fate in the coastal zone. In this study, MPs isolated from surface sediments sampled from a large beach-dune complex in southwest England have been quantified and characterised. Concentrations above a detectable size limit of 30 to 50 μm ranged from about 40 to 560 MP kg−1 dry weight but, despite local sources of plastics such as an estuary and seasonal tourism, there were no significant differences in median concentrations between different orthogonal foreshore transects and the dunes or according to zonal location on the beach. The majority of MPs were black and blue fibres of <1 mm in length that were constructed of polymers of density > 1 g cm−3 (e.g., rayon, polyester, acrylic). A significant correlation was found between MP concentration and the proportion of very fine sand (100 to 250 μm) but relationships with other granulometric or compositional markers of sediment (e.g., volume-weighted mean diameter, circularity, calcium content) were not evident. An association of MP concentration with very fine sand was attributed to similar particle depositional characteristics and the entrapment of fibres within small interstitial spaces. Overall, the observations reflect the wavelaid and windlaid deposition of MPs from a diffuse, offshore source, and, despite their role as accumulators of particles from the foreshore, dunes do not appear to act as a landward barrier of MPs.

dc.format.extent168535-168535
dc.format.mediumPrint-Electronic
dc.languageen
dc.publisherElsevier BV
dc.subjectFibres
dc.subjectRayon
dc.subjectAnthropogenic
dc.subjectDeposition
dc.subjectAeolian
dc.subjectGrain size
dc.titleMicroplastic transport and deposition in a beach-dune system (Saunton Sands-Braunton Burrows, southwest England)
dc.typejournal-article
dc.typeArticle
plymouth.author-urlhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37977395
plymouth.volume909
plymouth.publisher-urlhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168535
plymouth.publication-statusPublished
plymouth.journalScience of The Total Environment
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168535
plymouth.organisational-group|Plymouth
plymouth.organisational-group|Plymouth|Research Groups
plymouth.organisational-group|Plymouth|Faculty of Science and Engineering
plymouth.organisational-group|Plymouth|Faculty of Science and Engineering|School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
plymouth.organisational-group|Plymouth|Research Groups|Marine Institute
plymouth.organisational-group|Plymouth|REF 2021 Researchers by UoA
plymouth.organisational-group|Plymouth|Users by role
plymouth.organisational-group|Plymouth|Users by role|Current Academic staff
plymouth.organisational-group|Plymouth|Research Groups|BEACh
plymouth.organisational-group|Plymouth|REF 2021 Researchers by UoA|UoA07 Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences
plymouth.organisational-group|Plymouth|REF 2029 Researchers by UoA
plymouth.organisational-group|Plymouth|REF 2029 Researchers by UoA|UoA07 Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences
dc.publisher.placeNetherlands
dcterms.dateAccepted2023-11-10
dc.date.updated2024-04-24T09:52:43Z
dc.rights.embargodate2024-4-25
dc.identifier.eissn1879-1026
rioxxterms.versionofrecord10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168535


Files in this item

Thumbnail
Thumbnail

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record


All items in PEARL are protected by copyright law.
Author manuscripts deposited to comply with open access mandates are made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the details provided on the item record or document. In the absence of an open licence (e.g. Creative Commons), permissions for further reuse of content should be sought from the publisher or author.
Theme by 
Atmire NV