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1. Vertical profiles of microplastics in coastal sediments of Panjang Island, Java Sea

   Utami, D; Solihuddin, T; Sibert, E; Cohen, A; Cahyarini, S (December 2025, Regional Studies in Marine Science)

   NA (Ed.)

   The proliferation of plastic pollution has led to the widespread accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in marine ecosystems. While surface sediment contamination is relatively well studied, knowledge of vertical MP distri- bution within sediment columns remains limited. This study examines the abundance, vertical distribution, and characteristics of MPs in subtidal and intertidal sediments of Panjang Island, Java Sea. Fifteen shallow (10 cm) and three deep (~100 cm) sediment cores were analyzed for MP abundance, morphology, size, color, and polymer using microscopy and ATR-FTIR. MPs were detected in all cores, with an average concentration of 0.49 ± 0.28 MPs g⁻¹ in surface sediments. The highest surface concentration (2.08 ± 0.22 MPs g⁻¹) occurred in the southwest, a sheltered site with greater anthropogenic influence, while the lowest (0.05 ± 0.07 MPs g⁻¹) was recorded in the northwest, a remote and less disturbed area. Fibers dominated particle types. White, black, and blue were the most common colors, and size distributions were skewed toward particles <1 mm. Polypropylene and polyethylene were the most frequent polymers, reflecting their widespread use and persistence. Vertical profiles revealed higher MP concentrations near the surface, indicating intensified inputs in recent decades. No MPs were detected below 70 cm, suggesting limited downward migration and marking the onset of contami- nation during the plastic era. This study also found MPs in deeper sediment layer, likely due to post-depositional processes such as bioturbation. These findings demonstrate that sediment cores serve as valuable archives of historical MP deposition, capturing both global production trends and local environmental influences, and provide a basis for targeted management strategies. 

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2. Stormwater runoff microplastics: Polymer types, particle size, and factors controlling loading rates

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172485  

   Ochoa, Lilia; Chan, Julianne; Auguste, Caitlyn; Arbuckle-Keil, Georgia; Fahrenfeld, NL (June 2024, Science of The Total Environment)

   Stormwater runoff is a pathway of entry for microplastics (MPs, plastics <5 mm) into aquatic ecosystems. The objectives of this study were to determine MP size, morphology, chemical composition, and loading across urban storm events. Particles were extracted from stormwater samples collected at outfall locations using wet peroxide oxidation and cellulose digestion followed by analysis via attenuated total reflectance (ATR) FTIR. Concentrations observed were 0.99 ± 1.10 MP/L for 500–1000 μm and 0.41 ± 0.30 MP/L for the 1000–5000 μm size ranges. Seventeen different polymer types were observed. MP particle sizes measured using a FTIR-microscope camera indicated non-target size particles based on sieve-size classification, highlighting a potential source of error in studies reporting concentration by size class. A maximum MP load of 38.3 MP/m2 of upstream catchment was calculated. MP loadings had moderate correlations with both rainfall accumulation and intensity (Kendall τ = 0.54 and 0.42, respectively, both p ≤ 0.005). First flush (i.e. rapid wash-off of pollutants from watershed surfaces during rainfall early stages) was not always observed, and antecedent dry days were not correlated with MP abundance, likely due to the short dry periods between sampling events. Overall, the results presented provide data for risk assessment and mitigation strategies. 

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3. OPEN DUMPING AND BURNING: AN OVERLOOKED SOURCE OF TERRESTRIAL MICROPLASTICS IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES

   https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv-2024-k11sz  

   Hess, Kendra Z; Forsythe, Kyle; Wang, Xuewen; Tipling, Gwen; Jones, Jesse; Mata, Melissa; Hughes, Victoria; Martin, Christine; Doyle, John; Scott, Justin; et al (August 2024, Earth, Space, and Environmental Chemistry)

   Open dumping and burning of solid waste are widely practiced in underserved communities lacking access to solid waste management facilities; however, the generation of microplastics from these sites has been overlooked. We report elevated concentrations of microplastics (MPs) in soil of three solid waste open dump and burn sites: a single-family site in Tuttle, Oklahoma, USA, and two community-wide sites in Crow Agency and Lodge Grass, Montana, USA. We extracted, quantified, and characterized MPs from two soil depths (0-9 cm and 9-18 cm). The abundance of particles found at the three sites (35,000 to 69,200 particles kg-1 soil) equals or exceeds reported concentrations from currently understood sources of MPs including biosolids application and other agricultural practices. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transformed infrared (ATR-FTIR) identified polyethylene as the dominant polymer across all sites (46.2%-84.8%). We also detected rayon (≤11.5%), polystyrene (up to 11.5%), polyethylene terephthalate (≤5.1), polyvinyl chloride (≤4.4%), polyester (≤3.1), and acrylic (≤2.2%). Burned MPs accounted for 76.3 to 96.9% of the MPs found in both community wide dumping sites. These results indicate that solid waste dumping and burning activities are a major source of thermally oxidized MPs for the surrounding terrestrial environment with potential to negatively affect underserved communities. 

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4. Microplastics in Atlantic Ribbed Mussels (Geukensia demissa) from the Delaware Inland Bays, USA

   https://doi.org/10.3390/microplastics3010009  

   Ashley, Jeffrey; Pilat, Amanda; Ohlweiler, Ariana; Ogden, Connor; Bradley, Owen; Modi, Priya; Talbot, Spencer; Smith, Caya; O’Pella, Justin; Ozbay, Gulnihal (March 2024, Microplastics)

   Due to the prevalence of plastic pollution in coastal ecosystems, aquatic organisms are at high risk for accumulating microplastics (MPs). Filter-feeding bivalves, such as mussels and oysters, may be exposed to, and subsequently accumulate, MPs due to the high volume of water they pass through their bodies. This study assessed the levels of MPs within Atlantic ribbed mussels (Geukensia demissa), a common filter feeder found along the United States Atlantic Coast, from 12 sites within Rehoboth Bay, Indian River Bay, and Little Assawoman Bay, collectively known as the Delaware Inland Bays. Composited mussels from each site were digested using potassium hydroxide and filtered. Microplastics were physically identified, sorted based on color, and counted using a digital microscope. Microplastics, almost entirely dominated by synthetic microfibers, were found in all mussels well above laboratory blanks. Across all sites, 40% of microfibers were black, and 27% of fibers were clear. The composite concentrations of MPs ranged from 0.25 to 2.06 particles/g wet tissue, with a mean of 0.08 ± 0.06. In general, higher concentrations were found in mussels collected at sites that were adjacent to more urbanized land use versus those from rural sites. At two sites, individual mussels, in addition to composites, were analyzed and had MP concentrations ranging from 11 to 69 particles/mussel. This study represents the first evaluation of MPs in this ecologically important coastal species and suggests its viability as a biomonitoring species for microplastic pollution. 

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5. Microbes and microplastics: Community shifts along an urban coastal contaminant gradient

   https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.16563  

   Garrison, Cody E.; Pachiadaki, Maria G.; Soliman, Sammer; Helfrich, Anthony; Taylor, Gordon T. (December 2023, Environmental Microbiology)

   Abstract Plastic substrates introduced to the environment during the Anthropocene have introduced new pathways for microbial selection and dispersal. Some plastic‐colonising microorganisms have adapted phenotypes for plastic degradation (selection), while the spatial transport (dispersal) potential of plastic colonisers remains controlled by polymer‐specific density, hydrography and currents. Plastic‐degrading enzyme abundances have recently been correlated with concentrations of plastic debris in open ocean environments, making it critical to better understand colonisation of hydrocarbon degraders with plastic degradation potential in urbanised watersheds where plastic pollution often originates. We found that microbial colonisation by reputed hydrocarbon degraders on microplastics (MPs) correlated with a spatial contaminant gradient (New York City/Long Island waterways), polymer types, temporal scales, microbial domains and putative cell activity (DNA vs. RNA). Hydrocarbon‐degrading taxa enriched on polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride substrates relative to other polymers and were more commonly recovered in samples proximal to New York City. These differences in MP colonisation could indicate phenotypic adaptation processes resulting from increased exposure to urban plastic runoff as well as differences in carbon bioavailability across polymer types. Shifts in MP community potential across urban coastal contaminant gradients and polymer types improve our understanding of environmental plastic discharge impacts toward biogeochemical cycling across the global ocean. 

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