In situ correlation between microplastic and suspended particulate matter concentrations in river-estuary systems support proxies for satellite-derived estimates of microplastic flux

Sullivan, E, Cole, MJ, Atwood, EC, Lindeque, PK, Chin, PT and Martinez-Vicente, V 2023 In situ correlation between microplastic and suspended particulate matter concentrations in river-estuary systems support proxies for satellite-derived estimates of microplastic flux. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 196. 115529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115529

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Abstract/Summary

Rivers are key pathways for transporting microplastics from land to the oceans, yet microplastic flux estimates remain uncertain. Remote sensing allows repeated broad-scale measurements and can be used to extrapolate limited in situ observations. This study investigated the relationship between suspended particulate matter (SPM), a satellite-observable water quality parameter, and microplastic concentration in a partially mixed estuary (Tamar, UK). Microplastic concentrations ranged from 0.04 to 0.99 microplastics/m3, decreasing downstream. A significant correlation was found between SPM and microplastic concentration over two seasons. This relationship was used to compute a multiyear timeseries of proxy microplastic concentration from satellite imagery and produce estimates of annual proxy microplastic flux. This approach could be applied to investigate microplastic flux in other major rivers worldwide where such a relationship between microplastics and SPM exists. To apply this workflow elsewhere, the establishment of local SPM-to-microplastic relationships from in situ observations and local validation of remote sensing SPM algorithms are essential.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Additional Keywords:	Marine plastic Remote sensing Suspended particulate matter Tamar estuary Water quality
Divisions:	Plymouth Marine Laboratory > Science Areas > Earth Observation Science and Applications Plymouth Marine Laboratory > Science Areas > Marine Ecology and Biodiversity
Depositing User:	S Hawkins
Date made live:	02 Oct 2023 08:59
Last Modified:	03 Oct 2023 10:47
URI:	https://plymsea.ac.uk/id/eprint/10030

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