CV17039 Microplastics in Galway Bay: an ecosystem approach to seafloor integrity

The survey was conducted to assess microplastic pollution and seafloor integrity within Galway Bay and its environs. 12 stations were sampled in order to cover the entire area of Galway Bay and its environs. Sampling sites were chosen to help illustrate the potential broad distribution of microplastics in this area, using the circulatory pattern within the bay as a guide.

Station sampling included surface water (using a manta trawl) ; sediment (using a box corer); biota (benthic fauna and beam trawl) and CTD (Conductivity-Temperature-Depth) data collection. Objectives of the survey #1 To quantify and identify microplastic sources (land- or sea-based) in sediment samples; #2 To investigate whether Galway City has an influence on the distribution of benthic microplastics; #3 To explore seafloor integrity, particularly analysing the composition of past and present benthic communities; #4 To explore potential ingestion of microplastics by dominant macroinvertebrates, with emphasis on polychaetes and amphipods and #5 To obtain a snapshot of ingested plastic within different epibenthic ecosystems, including demersal fish.