Archive · collection · 2014
The number of plastic particles found in estuarine sediment and water samples of five estuaries, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Listed in PANGAEA
Widespread disposal of plastics negatively affects biotic and abiotic components of marine systems.
Description
Monitoring plastics transitioning through estuaries is vital in assessing terrestrial inputs to oceanic environments. Data on microplastics (particles <= 5mm) in estuaries are scant.
This study determined microplastic levels within five estuaries along the Durban coastline and on intervening beaches. Plastics were isolated from estuarine sediment, beach sediment and the surface water of each estuary and characterised. Sediment at the Bayhead area of Durban Harbour was found to contain the highest average plastic concentrations (745.40 ± 129.72 particles per 500ml).
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Overall an attenuating concentration trend away from the city center was found. Fragments composed the largest percent of plastics (59 %) found in Bayhead, whereas fibers dominated other estuaries (Mdloti - 66 %, uMgeni - 38 %, Isipingo - 45 % and iLovu - 53 %). Plastic particle concentration in estuarine sediment generally increased from larger to smaller size classes.
If high input and high retention in the harbour is coupled with high organic and metal pollutant loads, this area can become (if not already) a major environmental hazard.
Links
Where it is published
- DOI doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.839046 ↗
DOI / persistent id · from PANGAEA
Catalogue records · 1
- OAI-PMH record ws.pangaea.de/oai/provider?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=oai_dc&identifier=o… ↗
metadata API · from PANGAEA
Topics
- From keywords
- Earth & Environmental Science
- Inferred from text
- Pollution and contamination 72%
Provenance · 1 source records, 8 field assertions
| Source | Key | Last seen | Raw |
|---|---|---|---|
| PANGAEA | oai:pangaea.de:doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.839046 | 12 d ago | JSON v1 |
| Field | Assertion | Extractor | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| access_level | source · PANGAEA | connector:pangaea@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].anzsrc:group:4105 | enrichment · PANGAEA | taxonomy-embedding@1.1.0 | title+keywords+description (72%) |
| concepts[field].local:field:earth-environmental | mapping · PANGAEA | connector:pangaea@1.0.0 | |
| description | source · PANGAEA | connector:pangaea@1.0.0 | /metadata/dc/description |
| license | source · PANGAEA | connector:pangaea@1.0.0 | /metadata/dc/rights |
| publication_date | source · PANGAEA | connector:pangaea@1.0.0 | |
| spatial | source · PANGAEA | connector:pangaea@1.0.0 | |
| title | source · PANGAEA | connector:pangaea@1.0.0 | /metadata/dc/title |