Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8870813 | Marine Pollution Bulletin | 2018 | 9 Pages |
Abstract
Each sampling tool was tested at the same station and the collected sediment was used to assess the extraction performance for the different density separation techniques. No statistically significant differences were found between the concentrations of microplastics extracted for any of the sampling tools. However, there were significant differences between the density separation methods using sodium tungstate dihydrate and sodium chloride solution and the elutriation method. This preliminary study provides evidence that the sampling tools tested are both suitable and proficient at determining the abundance of microplastics in sediments. Sodium tungstate dihydrate proved to be a novel and feasible option for dense liquid separation of microplastics in subtidal marine sediments. These results will allow for more confidence in data quality when comparing future surveys applying different benthic sampling tools.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Oceanography
Authors
Elena Pagter, João Frias, RóisÃn Nash,