Quantifying Microplastics in the Hudson River Esstuary
Abstract
Plastic is a material that has become deeply integrated into every facet of our society, we see it all around us and come in contact with it everyday. Plastics are detrimental to aquatic life through complications with entanglement, consumption and general decrease in water quality. As of right now, little is known about the amount of micro-plastics in the Hudson River Estuary and in other bodies of water around the world. The rationale of this project is to systematically quantify the number of plastics and plankton in the Hudson River Estuary. Plastic usage world wide has continued to rise over the past century and as more and more plastics are being disposed into our environment, the issue of plastic waste is becoming increasingly problematic. It can be hypothesized that due to the increasing number of plastics being disposed in the Hudson River, there will be a correspondingly higher amount of microplastics in the estuary.
MIcroplastics
Microplastics accumulate primarily through runoff and the weathering of plastic debris, however they also accumulate through improperly disposed cosmetic products. The breakdown of primary plastics in the environment result in microplastics, small fragments of plastic typically less than 1-5 mm in size. Microplastics are detrimental to aquatic life through complications with entanglement, consumption and a general decrease in water quality. Scientists have found plastics in the stomachs of organisms as small as phytoplankton to animals the size of whales.
Phytoplankton
Phytoplankton is a species that is crucial to the health of our waterways. Many animals depend on phytoplankton for survival; zooplankton rely on them as a food source, fish rely on zooplankton, larger fish rely on smaller fish, ect. Phytoplankton are at the base of a very complex aquatic food-web. Phytoplankton are autotrophic, meaning they are able to synthesize their own food from inorganic substances using light. Photosynthesis performed by phytoplankton accounts for approximately half of the global primary production and helps keep a stable amount of dissolved oxygen in water bodies around the world. Without a sufficient amount of dissolved oxygen, water bodies can suffer from oxygen depletion which can wreak havoc on ecosystems.
Integration
Plastics are becoming increasingly integrated into our ecosystem in particular our aquatic life. Microplastics like phytoplankton are carried through the water by currents, meaning that microplastics and phytoplankton are often found in similar areas. microplastics (1-5 mm) and phytoplankton ( 2-200 um) are also relatively similar in size. Organisms can easily ingest microplastics mistaking it for a phytoplankton. There have also been microplastics found inside phytoplankton. The ingestion of microplastics contributes to biomagnification, witch causes plastic to move up the food-chain. The potential health effects of ingesting plastic are largely unknown.