Microplastic concentrations in two Oregon bivalve species: Spatial, temporal, and species variability

Details

• Journal Title:
  Limnology and Oceanography Letters
• Personal Author:
  Baechler, Britta R. ; Granek, Elise F. ; Hunter, Matthew V. ; Conn, Kathleen E.
• NOAA Program & Office:
  OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research)
• Description:
  Microplastics are an ecological stressor with implications for ecosystem and human health when present in seafood. We quantified microplastic types, concentrations, anatomical burdens, geographic distribution, and temporal differences in Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and Pacific razor clams (Siliqua patula) from 15 Oregon coast, U.S.A. sites. Microplastics were present in organisms from all sites. On average, whole oysters and razor clams contained 10.95 ± 0.77 and 8.84 ± 0.45 microplastic pieces per individual, or 0.35 ± 0.04 pieces g−1 tissue and 0.16 ± 0.02 pieces g−1 tissue, respectively. Contamination was quantified but not subtracted. Over 99% of microplastics were fibers. Material type was determined using Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy. Spring samples contained more microplastics than summer samples in oysters but not razor clams. Our study is the first to document microplastics in Pacific razor clams and provides important coast‐wide data to compare microplastic burden across species, seasons, and sites.
• Keywords:
  Aquatic Science Oceanography
• Source:
  Limnology and Oceanography Letters, 5(1), 54-65
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10124
• ISSN:
  2378-2242 ; 2378-2242
• Format:
  PDF
• Publisher:
  Wiley
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  Grant no. NA14OAR4170064
• License:
  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Rights Information:
  CC BY
• Compliance:
  Library
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:fcff4ac80e3d335f676d43c5916755ceff9501c29d99b72d45df33e11a071763
• Download URL:
  https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/57997/noaa_57997_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 718.16 KB ]