Microplastics in intertidal water of South Australia and the mussel Mytilus spp.; the contrasting effect of population on concentration

Janet R Klein; Julian Beaman; K Paul Kirkbride; Corey Patten; Karen Burke da Silva

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154875

Microplastics in intertidal water of South Australia and the mussel Mytilus spp.; the contrasting effect of population on concentration

Sci Total Environ. 2022 Jul 20:831:154875. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154875. Epub 2022 Mar 29.

Authors

Janet R Klein¹, Julian Beaman², K Paul Kirkbride³, Corey Patten⁴, Karen Burke da Silva⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia. Electronic address: janet.klein@flinders.edu.au.
² College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia. Electronic address: Julian.beaman@flinders.edu.au.
³ College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia. Electronic address: paul.kirkbride@flinders.edu.au.
⁴ College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia.
⁵ College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia. Electronic address: karen.burkedasilva@flinders.edu.au.

PMID: 35364164
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154875

Abstract

Microplastics, plastic particles <5 mm in size, are of global concern as human-caused pollutants in marine and fresh waters, and yet little is known of their distribution, behaviour and ecological impact in the intertidal environment of South Australia. This study confirms for the first time, the presence of microplastic in the South Australian intertidal ecosystem by quantifying the abundance of particles in intertidal water and in the keystone species, the blue mussel, Mytilus spp., an important fisheries species, at ten and six locations respectively, along the South Australian coastline. For a remote region known for its pristine environment, microplastic concentration in intertidal water was found to be low to moderate (mean = 8.21 particles l^-1 ± 4.91) relative to global levels and microplastic abundance in mussels (mean = 3.58 ± 8.18 particles individual^-1) was within the range also reported globally. Microplastic particles were ubiquitous across sites and bioavailable by size in water (mean = 906.36 μm) and in mussel (mean = 983.29 μm) raising concerns for the health of South Australia's unique coastal ecosystems and for the human food chain. Furthermore, a positive correlation was found between human coastal population size and microplastic concentration in intertidal water, irrespective of influences from industry - tourism, fishing and shipping ports. FTIR analysis determined plastic type to include polyamide (PA), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), acrylic resin, polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) and cellulose, suggesting synthetic and semi-synthetic particles from single-use, short-life cycle products, fabrics, ropes and cordage. Our findings shed light on the urgent need to establish the local sources of microplastic pollution in order to assist the community, industry and government to reduce the impact of microplastic on the fragile marine systems within South Australian intertidal waters and on the organisms associated with the human food chain.

Keywords: Blue mussel; Intertidal water; Microplastic; Population; Single-use plastics; South Australia.

MeSH terms

Animals
Australia
Ecosystem
Environmental Monitoring
Humans
Microplastics
Mytilus*
Plastics / analysis
South Australia
Water / analysis
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Microplastics
Plastics
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Water