Storm events as key moments of microplastic contamination in aquatic ecosystems.

Hitchcock, JN

Storm events as key moments of microplastic contamination in aquatic ecosystems.

Hitchcock, JN

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Publisher:: ELSEVIER
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: The Science of the total environment, 2020, 734
Issue Date:: 2020-09

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Hitchcock, JN
dc.date.accessioned	2020-10-28T04:28:14Z
dc.date.available	2020-05-12
dc.date.available	2020-10-28T04:28:14Z
dc.date.issued	2020-09
dc.identifier.citation	The Science of the total environment, 2020, 734
dc.identifier.issn	0048-9697
dc.identifier.issn	1879-1026
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/143553
dc.description.abstract	Microplastic (MP) pollution is an emerging issue in aquatic sciences. Rain and storm events are responsible for the mobilization and transport of a range of pollutants in aquatic systems, yet to date no study has examined how microplastic abundance changes in waterways during such events. The aim of this study was to determine how microplastic concentrations changed over the course of the storm event in an urban estuary. Sampling was conducted at high frequency before, during, and after a storm event that caused flooding in the Cooks River estuary, Australia. Microplastic abundance increased during two days of heavy rain from 400 particles m3 before storm event to up to 17,383 particles m3 after the event. Variation in microplastic abundance was positively related to five-day average antecedent rainfall. The results highlight the importance of rain and storm events as key moments of microplastic contamination in aquatic systems. The results have implications for considering the maximum number of microplastics that aquatic life may be exposed to and the importance of strategies to manage stormwater to minimize the input of microplastics to aquatic ecosystems.
dc.format	Print-Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	ELSEVIER
dc.relation.ispartof	The Science of the total environment
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139436
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess
dc.subject.classification	Environmental Sciences
dc.title	Storm events as key moments of microplastic contamination in aquatic ecosystems.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	734
utslib.location.activity	Netherlands
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	false
dc.date.updated	2020-10-28T04:28:07Z
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	734

Abstract:

Microplastic (MP) pollution is an emerging issue in aquatic sciences. Rain and storm events are responsible for the mobilization and transport of a range of pollutants in aquatic systems, yet to date no study has examined how microplastic abundance changes in waterways during such events. The aim of this study was to determine how microplastic concentrations changed over the course of the storm event in an urban estuary. Sampling was conducted at high frequency before, during, and after a storm event that caused flooding in the Cooks River estuary, Australia. Microplastic abundance increased during two days of heavy rain from 400 particles m3 before storm event to up to 17,383 particles m3 after the event. Variation in microplastic abundance was positively related to five-day average antecedent rainfall. The results highlight the importance of rain and storm events as key moments of microplastic contamination in aquatic systems. The results have implications for considering the maximum number of microplastics that aquatic life may be exposed to and the importance of strategies to manage stormwater to minimize the input of microplastics to aquatic ecosystems.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/143553