Despite the close connection of freshwaters to human health, the occurrence and fate of microplastics in marine estuaries remain poorly documented. To study these particles in the Saint-Lawrence River (Quebec, Canada), surface water samples were collected along a river-to-sea continuum, from Saint-Louis Lake to Cacouna. The microplastics from these water samples were isolated and sorted by size range and by shapes: fibers (1 dimension), films (2 dimensions) or fragments (3 dimensions). Particles were identified by microscopy and infrared spectroscopy techniques. The physico-chemical (temperature, conductivity, pH and dissolved oxygen) gradients along the continuum were monitored at the time of sampling. Sampling of microplastics (0.3 – 3.2 mm) in surface water was carried out using an original pumping system (without plastic), at the rate of 3 replicates of 1,000 L per station.
This work provides the first set of data concerning the microplastic pollution in a major river-to-sea continuum of North America and describes the fate of these microplastics along horizontal physico-chemical gradients.
For more information you can consult the scientific article which results from these data:
- L. Rowenczyk, H. Cai, B. Nguyen, M. Sirois, M.-C. Côté-Laurin, N. Toupoint, A. Ismail, N. Tufenkji, From freshwaters to bivalves: Microplastic distribution along the Saint-Lawrence river-to-sea continuum, Journal of Hazardous Materials, Volume 435, 2022,128977, ISSN 0304-3894, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128977.
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