Nanoplastics on the coast exposed to the North Atlantic Gyre: Evidence and traceability

• Published in: NanoImpact
• Main Authors: Davranche, Mélanie, Lory, Caroline, Juge, Corentin Le, Blancho, Florent, Dia, Aline, Grassl, Bruno, El Hadri, Hind, Pascal, Pierre-Yves, Gigault, Julien
• Other Authors: Géosciences Rennes (GR), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR), Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut des sciences analytiques et de physico-chimie pour l'environnement et les materiaux (IPREM), Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour (UPPA)-Institut de Chimie - CNRS Chimie (INC-CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB ), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université des Antilles (UA), ANR-17-CE34-0008, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, ANR-17-CE34-0008,PEPSEA,Nanoparticules de plastiques dans l'environnement: source, impact et prédiction(2017)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2020
• Subjects: Nanoplastics; Identification; Characterization; Rare Earth Element; Traceability; Coast; [SDE]Environmental Sciences; [SDU.STU.GC]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geochemistry; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://insu.hal.science/insu-02959677; https://insu.hal.science/insu-02959677/document; https://insu.hal.science/insu-02959677/file/davranche-2020.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.impact.2020.100262

International audience The occurrence of nanoplastics in the environment is now known and presents new threats linked to plastic debris issues. New questions about the formation pathways and life cycle assessment of nanoplastics in continental and marine environments have been raised. In the present study, we focused on the Guadeloupe island coastal system. For the first time, we demonstrated the presence of nanoplastics in sand water extracts (SWEs). We also investigated the potential of rare earth elements (REE) in tracing nanoplastics. Based on the REE patterns of SWEs, beached plastics and modern corals, we demonstrated that nanoplastics are important components in the REE signature of coastal sand (29 to 73%). These original results demonstrate the relevance of developing geochemical tracers for determining the fate of missing plastic litter.