Widespread distribution of microplastics in subsurface seawater in the NE Pacific Ocean
Abstract
We document the abundance, composition and distribution of microplastics in sub-surface seawaters of the northeastern Pacific Ocean and coastal British Columbia. Samples were acid-digested and plastics were characterized using light microscopy by type (fibres or fragments) and size (<100, 100-500, 500-100 and >1000 μm). Microplastics concentrations ranged from 8 to 9200 particles/m(3); lowest concentrations were in offshore Pacific waters, and increased 6, 12 and 27-fold in west coast Vancouver Island, Strait of Georgia, and Queen Charlotte Sound, respectively. Fibres accounted for ∼ 75% of particles on average, although nearshore samples had more fibre content than offshore (p<0.05). While elevated microplastic concentrations near urban areas are consistent with land-based sources, the high levels in Queen Charlotte Sound appeared to be the result of oceanographic conditions that trap and concentrate debris. This assessment of microplastics in the NE Pacific is of interest in light of the on-coming debris from the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami.
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Small crustaceans are often primary consumers, as are planktonic rotifers.
“Small crustaceans are often primary consumers (Desforges et al., 2014), as are planktonic rotifers.”
From Studies of the Effects of Microplastics on Aquatic Organisms: What Do We Know and Where Should We Focus Our Efforts in the Future? (2018) · cites this paper as Desforges et al., 2014
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- Authors
- Desforges, J.-P. W., Galbraith, M., Dangerfield, N., & Ross, P. S.
- Affiliations
- University of Victoria (CA)
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada (CA)
- Vancouver Aquarium (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Ross, Peter S.
- Venue
- Marine Pollution Bulletin
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2014-02
- Volume
- 79
- Issue
- 1-2
- Pages
- 94-99
- ISSN
- 0025-326X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2057631570
- Cited by
- 1,045
- References
- 42
- Citations by year
- 2026: 41 · 2025: 88 · 2024: 107 · 2023: 135 · 2022: 131 · 2021: 126 · 2020: 122 · 2019: 87 · 2018: 87 · 2017: 48 · 2016: 32 · 2015: 33 · 2014: 6
- FWCI
- 27.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Marine Pollution Bulletin (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- North Pacific Marine Science Organization
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Oil Spill Detection and Mitigation
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Keywords
- microplastics, Northeast Pacific, British Columbia coast, microplastic abundance, microplastic composition, microplastic fragments, particle size distribution, Queen Charlotte Sound, Strait of Georgia, Vancouver Island, land-based plastic sources
- MeSH terms
- British Columbia, Environmental Monitoring, Pacific Ocean, Plastics, Seawater, Waste Products, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Tsunamis
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