Microplastic concentrations in sea surface waters of Skjálfandi Bay : Iceland and the potential impacts on baleen whales

• Main Author: Eleanor Frances Young 1995-
• Other Authors: Háskólinn á Akureyri
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Meistaraprófsritgerðir; Háskólasetur Vestfjarða; Haf- og strandsvæðastjórnun; Örplast; Sjávarlíffræði; Skíðishvalir; University Centre of the Westfjords; Coastal and marine management; Marine plastic debris; Microplastics; Marine organisms; Baleen whales; Balaenoptera acutorostrata; baleen whales; Iceland; Subarctic; Skjálfandi
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1946/45860

Verkefnið er lokað til 19.09.2024 The presence of marine plastic debris harms economic, social and environmental outcomes globally. Plastics carry toxic chemicals and persistent organic pollutants, leaking them into the environment as they disperse and continue to degrade. Micro- (1-5mm) and meso- plastics (5-10mm), which will be collectively termed microplastics in this study, are particularly harmful given their small size and integration into food webs, with individuals at risk of both physical damage and chemical harm due to the compounds in plastics. It is vital to understand the distribution and abundance of microplastics throughout the world to understand the severity of the issue and the potential harm to marine organisms. This study evaluates microplastic pollution in Skjálfandi Bay, Iceland, a subarctic region which is a key habitat for many marine organisms and a vital feeding ground for baleen whales. Through sea surface samples collected once per week in summer 2021 and 2022 using an all-purpose velocity accelerated net instrument (AVANI) onboard a citizen science tour, microplastic prevalence was investigated. Samples were filtered and visually inspected to identify and categorise the microplastics found. Using filtration rates from previous studies, theoretical ingestion rates of microplastics by humpback , minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and blue whales . Microplastics were found in 78% of the samples taken (n=32), totalling 165 individual pieces over 32 trawls covering a distance of 187 nautical miles (346km). Fragments and filaments were the most abundant microplastic types found within the samples, with many filaments suspected to be from fishing gear. By calculating the number of plastic pieces per km2, it was estimated that there is an average of 3,389 microplastic items per km2 in Skjálfandi Bay. Humpback whales could be ingesting 13 pieces of microplastic, with minke and blue whales ingesting 0.6 and 24.5 plastic items respectively per cubic metre per hour. This is the first ...