Subj : Global study details microplastics conta To : All From : ScienceDaily Date : Wed Jul 12 2023 22:30:26 Global study details microplastics contamination in lakes and reservoirs Date: July 12, 2023 Source: University of Kansas Summary: A project involving 79 researchers belonging to the international Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) finds that concentrations of plastic found in freshwater environments are actually higher than those found in so-called 'garbage patches' in the ocean. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email ========================================================================== FULL STORY ========================================================================== Around 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year. But that is not the only water source where plastic represents a significant intrusion. "We found microplastics in every lake we sampled," said Ted Harris, associate research professor for the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research at the University of Kansas. "Some of these lakes you think of as clear, beautiful vacation spots. But we discovered such places to be perfect examples of the link between plastics and humans." Harris is one of 79 researchers belonging to the international Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON), which examines processes and phenomena occurring in freshwater environments. Their new paper, titled "Plastic debris in lakes and reservoirs," reveals that concentrations of plastic found in freshwater environments are actually higher than those found in so-called "garbage patches" in the ocean. The article is published in Nature. For his role, Harris teamed with Rebecca Kessler, his former student and recent KU graduate, to test two Kansas lakes (Clinton and Perry) and the Cross Reservoir at the KU Field Station. "That entailed us going out, tolling a net with tiny little holes in it, dragging it for about two minutes, then collecting those samples of microplastics and sending them off to (the lead researchers)," Kessler said. The research project was designed and coordinated by the Inland Water Ecology and Management research group of the University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy (headed by Barbara Leoni and Veronica Nava). The team sampled surface waters of 38 lakes and reservoirs, distributed across gradients of geographical position and limnological attributes. It detected plastic debris in all studied lakes and reservoirs. "This paper essentially shows the more humans, the more plastics," Harris said. "Places like Clinton Lake are relatively low in microplastics because -- while there are many animals and trees -- there aren't a lot of humans, relative to somewhere like Lake Tahoe where people are living all around it. Some of these lakes are seemingly pristine and beautiful, yet that's where the microplastics come from." Harris said that many of the plastics are from something as outwardly innocuous as T-shirts. "The simple act of people getting in swimming and having clothing that has microplastic fibers in it leads to microplastics getting everywhere," he said. The GLEON study cites two types of water bodies studied that are particularly vulnerable to plastic contamination: lakes and reservoirs in densely populated and urbanized areas; and those with elevated deposition areas, long water retention times and high levels of anthropogenic influence. "When we started the study, I didn't know a lot about microplastics versus large plastics," Harris said. "When this paper says 'concentrations as much or worse than the garbage patch,' you always think of the big bottles and stuff, but you're not thinking of all that smaller stuff. You don't see a huge garbage patch in Lake Tahoe, yet it's one of the most impacted lakes when it comes to microplastics. Those are plastics you can't really see with the naked eye, and then you get underneath a scope at 40,000x, and you see these little jagged pieces and other particles that are the same size as algae or even smaller." Part of Harris and Kessler's enthusiasm for taking part in this project was to highlight a region of the U.S. that is often overlooked. "In this study, there's one dot in the middle of the country, and that's our sample," he said. "In Iowa, Missouri and Colorado, there's this huge swath of area that has water bodies, but we often don't get them into those massive global studies. So it was really important for me to put Kansas on the map to see and contextualize what these differences are in our lakes." Harris has worked at KU since 2013, where his research focuses on aquatic ecology. Kessler graduated KU in 2022 with a degree in ecology, evolutionary & organismal biology. "The biggest takeaway from our study is that microplastics can be found in all lakes," Kessler said. "Obviously, there are different concentrations. But they are literally everywhere. And the biggest contributing factor to these microplastics is human interaction with the lakes." * RELATED_TOPICS o Matter_&_Energy # Nature_of_Water # Materials_Science # Engineering_and_Construction # Sports_Science o Earth_&_Climate # Water # Environmental_Issues # Geography # Ecology * RELATED_TERMS o Ocean o Algal_bloom o Volcano o Lake_effect_snow o Phytoplankton o Lake o Tide_pool o Mid-ocean_ridge ========================================================================== Print Email Share ========================================================================== ****** 1 ****** ***** 2 ***** **** 3 **** *** 4 *** ** 5 ** Breaking this hour ========================================================================== * Salinity_Changes_Threatening_Marine_Ecosystems * Plastic_Pollution_On_Reefs_Mostly_from_Fishing * Detailed_Map_of_the_Heart * Microplastics_Contamination_in_Lakes_and_... * Diverse_Organic_Material_On_Mars * How_the_Immune_System_Can_Alter_Our_Behavior * Ocean's_Color_Is_Changing_Due_to_Climate_Change * Start_of_Anthropocene_Epoch:_Canadian_Lake_... * Pump_Powers_Soft_Robots,_Makes_Cocktails * Rat_Poison_--_Neurotoxicant_--_In_Birds_of_Prey Trending Topics this week ========================================================================== PLANTS_&_ANIMALS Biology Nature Food EARTH_&_CLIMATE Global_Warming Environmental_Policy Environmental_Awareness FOSSILS_&_RUINS Fossils Ancient_Civilizations Cultures ========================================================================== Strange & Offbeat ========================================================================== PLANTS_&_ANIMALS Tiny_Fish_Surprise_Scientists_in_'Volunteer's_Dilemma' Capturing_the_Immense_Potential_of_Microscopic_DNA_for_Data_Storage Bees_Make_Decisions_Better_and_Faster_Than_We_Do,_for_the_Things_That_Matter_to Them EARTH_&_CLIMATE Why_There_Are_No_Kangaroos_in_Bali_(and_No_Tigers_in_Australia) Turning_Old_Maps_Into_3D_Digital_Models_of_Lost_Neighborhoods Squash_Bugs_Are_Attracted_to_and_Eat_Each_Other's_Poop_to_Stock_Their Microbiome FOSSILS_&_RUINS Giant_Stone_Artefacts_Found_on_Rare_Ice_Age_Site_in_Kent,_UK Fossils_Reveal_How_Ancient_Birds_Molted_Their_Feathers_--_Which_Could_Help Explain_Why_Ancestors_of_Modern_Birds_Survived_When_All_the_Other_Dinosaurs Died Apex_Predator_of_the_Cambrian_Likely_Sought_Soft_Over_Crunchy_Prey Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Kansas. Note: Content may be edited for style and length. ========================================================================== Journal Reference: 1. Veronica Nava, Sudeep Chandra, Julian Aherne, Mari'a B. Alfonso, Ana M. Anta~o-Geraldes, Katrin Attermeyer, Roberto Bao, Mireia Bartrons, Stella A. Berger, Marcin Biernaczyk, Raphael Bissen, Justin D. Brookes, David Brown, Miguel Can~edo-Argu"elles, Moise's Canle, Camilla Capelli, Rafael Carballeira, Jose' Luis Cereijo, Sakonvan Chawchai, So/ren T. Christensen, Kirsten S. Christoffersen, Elvira de Eyto, Jorge Delgado, Tyler N. Dornan, Jonathan P. Doubek, Julia Dusaucy, Oxana Erina, Zeynep Ersoy, Heidrun Feuchtmayr, Maria Luce Frezzotti, Silvia Galafassi, David Gateuille, Vitor Gonc,alves, Hans-Peter Grossart, David P. Hamilton, Ted D. Harris, Ku"lli Kangur, Go"kben Başaran Kankılıc,, Rebecca Kessler, Christine Kiel, Edward M. Krynak, A`ngels Leiva-Presa, Fabio Lepori, Miguel G. Matias, Shin-ichiro S. Matsuzaki, Yvonne McElarney, Beata Messyasz, Mark Mitchell, Musa C. Mlambo, Samuel N. Motitsoe, Sarma Nandini, Valentina Orlandi, Caroline Owens, Deniz O"zkundakci, Solvig Pinnow, Agnieszka Pociecha, Pedro Miguel Raposeiro, Eva-Ingrid Ro~o~m, Federica Rotta, Nico Salmaso, S. S. S. Sarma, Davide Sartirana, Facundo Scordo, Claver Sibomana, Daniel Siewert, Katarzyna Stepanowska, U"lku" Nihan Tavşanoğlu, Maria Tereshina, James Thompson, Monica Tolotti, Amanda Valois, Piet Verburg, Brittany Welsh, Brian Wesolek, Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer, Naicheng Wu, Edyta Zawisza, Lauren Zink, Barbara Leoni. Plastic debris in lakes and reservoirs. Nature, 2023; 619 (7969): 317 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06168-4 ========================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230712124616.htm --- up 1 year, 19 weeks, 2 days, 10 hours, 50 minutes * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3) .