| 塑料微粒在蒙特雷灣深海區的分布調查 | 《科學報告》 |
論文標題：The vertical distribution and biological transport of marine microplastics across the epipelagic and mesopelagic water column
期刊：Scientific Reports
作者：C. Anela Choy, Bruce H. Robison, Tyler O. Gagne, Benjamin Erwin, Evan Firl, Rolf U. Halden, J. Andrew Hamilton, Kakani Katija, Susan E. Lisin, Charles Rolsky, Kyle S. Van Houtan
發表時間：2019/06/06
數字識別碼： 10.1038/s41598-019-44117-2
原文連結： http://t.cn/AiNSYc8E
微信連結：https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/b-PYG_QXYg32Y8ld5cOekw
根據《科學報告》本周發表的一項研究The vertical distribution and biological transport of marine microplastics across the epipelagic and mesopelagic water column，加州蒙特雷灣深海區內可能存在一個大型海洋塑料微粒「庫」，這可能是現在最大的塑料微粒庫之一，但目前未得到充分重視。
圖1：在蒙特雷灣深海區，塑料微粒濃度最高的位置是200-600米間。圖源：Choy等
美國加州大學聖地牙哥分校的C. Anela Choy及同事運用遠程操作工具和特製的取樣器收集並檢查了蒙特雷灣深海區的塑料微粒分布情況。他們採集了5–1,000米深的26,239升海水以及遠洋紅蟹和巨型幼形海鞘——這兩種動物直接以和塑料微粒同樣大小的微粒為食。
作者發現，包含在一次性塑料瓶和包裝中的聚對苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（PET）是各種深度的水柱樣本中最常見的塑料，同時也是遠洋紅蟹胃腸道中和幼形海鞘廢棄的粘質網篩內最常見的塑料。幼形綱動物的網篩又被稱為住囊，每次進食後便被廢棄，沉入海底。以上發現表明，幼形海鞘的住囊相當於一種載體，將塑料微粒從淺水區運輸到海底。在陽光照射區的底部，塑料微粒的濃度最高，塑料種類最多。
圖2：PET和PA是水柱中和海洋生物體內的主要塑料種類。圖源：Choy等
這些發現表明，塑料微粒汙染向深海水域、沉積物和動物群落蔓延的深度和廣度超過此前預期。作者認為需要採取大規模的保護和緩解措施，從空間和生態層面評估問題的嚴重性。
摘要：Plastic waste has been documented in nearly all types of marine environments and has been found in species spanning all levels of marine food webs. Within these marine environments, deep pelagic waters encompass the largest ecosystems on Earth. We lack a comprehensive understanding of the concentrations, cycling, and fate of plastic waste in sub-surface waters, constraining our ability to implement effective, large-scale policy and conservation strategies. We used remotely operated vehicles and engineered purpose-built samplers to collect and examine the distribution of microplastics in the Monterey Bay pelagic ecosystem at water column depths ranging from 5 to 1000 m. Laser Raman spectroscopy was used to identify microplastic particles collected from throughout the deep pelagic water column, with the highest concentrations present at depths between 200 and 600 m. Examination of two abundant particle feeders in this ecosystem, pelagic red crabs (Pleuroncodes planipes) and giant larvaceans (Bathochordaeus stygius), showed that microplastic particles readily flow from the environment into coupled water column and seafloor food webs. Our findings suggest that one of the largest and currently underappreciated reservoirs of marine microplastics may be contained within the water column and animal communities of the deep sea.
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期刊介紹：Scientific Reports (https://www.nature.com/srep/) is an online, open access journal from the publishers of Nature. We publish scientifically valid primary research from all areas of the natural and clinical sciences.
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（來源：科學網）
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