Microplastic accumulation by tube-dwelling, suspension feeding polychaetes from the sediment surface: A case study from the Norwegian Continental Shelf

Heidi Knutsen; Jakob Bonnevie Cyvin; Christian Totland; Øyvind Lilleeng; Emma Jane Wade; Verónica Castro; Arne Pettersen; Jens Laugesen; Thomas Møskeland; Hans Peter H Arp

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105073

Microplastic accumulation by tube-dwelling, suspension feeding polychaetes from the sediment surface: A case study from the Norwegian Continental Shelf

Mar Environ Res. 2020 Oct:161:105073. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105073. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Affiliations

¹ Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), P.O. Box 3930, Ullevål Stadion, NO-0806, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: hkn@ngi.no.
² Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), P.O. Box 3930, Ullevål Stadion, NO-0806, Oslo, Norway; Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Department of Environmental Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, NO-1432, Ås, Norway.
³ Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), P.O. Box 3930, Ullevål Stadion, NO-0806, Oslo, Norway.
⁴ Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Food Sciences, IIAA - Institute for Food Analysis and Research, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Constantino Candeira 5, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
⁵ DNV GL, P.O. Box 300, NO-1322, Høvik, Norway.
⁶ Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), P.O. Box 3930, Ullevål Stadion, NO-0806, Oslo, Norway; Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Department of Chemistry, P.O. Box 8900, NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: hpa@ngi.no.

PMID: 32823177
DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105073

Abstract

Sediment samples (0-1 cm) and tube-dwelling polychaetes from the Norwegian Continental Shelf and the Barents Sea were collected, including areas close to oil and gas installations and remote locations. Microplastics (≥45 μm) were found in quantifiable levels in 27 of 35 sediment samples, from 0.039 to 3.4 particles/g_dw (dw = dry weight); and in 9 of 10 pooled polychaete samples, from 11 to 880 particles/g_ww (ww = wet weight). Concentrations were significantly higher in tube-dwelling polychaetes than sediments from the same locations (p<0.0097) by orders of magnitude. To quantify this factor increase in polychaetes, a Biota-Sediment Particle Enrichment Factor (BSPEF) is introduced, which ranged from 100 to 11000 g_dw/g_ww (280-31000 g_dw/g_dw). Higher microplastic levels were observed in polychaete tube than in soft tissue (n=4). The feeding behavior and life cycle of tube-dwelling polychaetes could have an important influence on the transport, distribution and food-chain dynamics of microplastics on the seafloor.

Keywords: Barents sea; Enrichment factor; Microplastic; Norwegian continental shelf; Polychaete; Sediments; Suspension feeder; Tube-dwelling.

MeSH terms

Environmental Monitoring
Geologic Sediments
Microplastics
Norway
Plastics*
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Microplastics
Plastics
Water Pollutants, Chemical