Quantification and characterization of microplastics in the Thermaic Gulf, in the North Aegean Sea

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2023-09, Vol.892, p.164299-164299, Article 164299
• Main Authors: Kermenidou, M., Frydas, I.S., Moschoula, E., Kousis, D., Christofilos, D., Karakitsios, S., Sarigiannis, D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Distribution; Environmental Monitoring; Fish; Fishes; Geologic Sediments; Humans; Microplastics (MPs); Microplastics - analysis; Plastics; Seawater; Sediment; Thermaic gulf; Water - analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164299

The abundance and distribution of microplastics has largely increased during last years and the respective implications on the environment and human health is an emerging field in research. In addition, recent studies in the enclosed Mediterranean Sea in Spain and Italy have shown an extended occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in different sediments of environmental samples. This study is focused on the quantification and the characterization of MPs in the Thermaic Gulf in northern Greece. Briefly, samples from different environmental compartments such as seawater, local beaches and seven commercially available fish species collected and analyzed. MPs particles extracted and classified by size, shape, colour and polymer type. A total of 28,523 microplastic particles recorded in the surface water samples, with their numbers ranging from 189 to 7714 particles per sample. The mean concentration of MPs recorded on the surface water was 1.9 ± 2 items/m3 or 750,846 ± 838,029 items/km2. Beach sediment sample analysis revealed 14,790 microplastic particles, of which 1825 were large microplastics (LMPs, 1–5 mm) and 12,965 were small microplastics (SMPs,