17:15 〜 18:45
[MIS09-P08] Transport Pathways of Microplastics in The South Pacific
キーワード：South Pacific Islands, FT-IR, Air Quality, Plastic Pollution
Microplastics are known to undergo long-distance transport through different water bodies such as rivers and result in deposition into oceans. However, there are very few studies on atmospheric transport of microplastics, especially in The South Pacific Region.
Our paper Al Nabhani et al. 2022 was published based on microplastics deposition on remote island beaches of Fiji: This is the first study that investigated the presence, distribution, and composition of microplastics, MPs (1-5mm) on beaches in the Yasawa Islands, Fiji. A temporal assessment over three years on six beaches was undertaken to investigate different beach traits on MP abundance. Average MP concentration was 4.5±11.1 MPs.m-2 with significantly higher concentrations were found on east-facing beaches than west (p <0.001), and higher on the storm line compared to the high tide line (p <0.001). No difference was found between tourist and local beaches (p =0.21). These results demonstrate the role of current-driven ocean transport of plastic pollution in this part of The South Pacific. ATR FT-IR analysis showed that across all sites 34% of MPs were polypropylene (PP), 33% polystyrene (PS), 25% polyethylene (PE), and 8% other polymer types. Further studies are needed to assess the potential impacts of MPs on Fiji’s coral reefs and marine life.
The next focus areas were on the atmospheric transport of microplastics in The South Pacific. 3 more papers are in the works of being published with the following: We investigated the amounts and types of microplastics being deposited from the atmosphere in Fiji, Tonga, Australia, and The Solomon Islands. Preliminary results show that even though the South Pacific has many pristine and remote islands, there are still microplastics being deposited. Plastic types within the islands are similar to each other, whilst those in Australia are different. However, there are similarities as well in two types of plastics: Polyethylene (PE) and Polypropylene (PP). This is expected as they are the most common plastics found globally. Our results compare well with other regions of the world, though on a smaller scale. We found that there are no significant differences in number of plastics whether it is in the wet or dry season. We also found that microplastics are likely coming from the ocean and reemitted into the atmosphere within the pacific islands. This could be from the South Pacific Garbage Patch (SPGP) in the South Pacific Ocean. This was shown through HYSPLIT back trajectories of 7 days, performed on the Fiji site with samples collected over a temporal duration of 1 year. On the other hand, in Australia we found that polystyrene is the most common plastic, likely to be locally sourced as Sydney is higher in population and pertains a larger scale of industrial areas. Further research and sample collection within South Pacific islands at different sites is needed to be able to determine the sources of the microplastics.
Our paper Al Nabhani et al. 2022 was published based on microplastics deposition on remote island beaches of Fiji: This is the first study that investigated the presence, distribution, and composition of microplastics, MPs (1-5mm) on beaches in the Yasawa Islands, Fiji. A temporal assessment over three years on six beaches was undertaken to investigate different beach traits on MP abundance. Average MP concentration was 4.5±11.1 MPs.m-2 with significantly higher concentrations were found on east-facing beaches than west (p <0.001), and higher on the storm line compared to the high tide line (p <0.001). No difference was found between tourist and local beaches (p =0.21). These results demonstrate the role of current-driven ocean transport of plastic pollution in this part of The South Pacific. ATR FT-IR analysis showed that across all sites 34% of MPs were polypropylene (PP), 33% polystyrene (PS), 25% polyethylene (PE), and 8% other polymer types. Further studies are needed to assess the potential impacts of MPs on Fiji’s coral reefs and marine life.
The next focus areas were on the atmospheric transport of microplastics in The South Pacific. 3 more papers are in the works of being published with the following: We investigated the amounts and types of microplastics being deposited from the atmosphere in Fiji, Tonga, Australia, and The Solomon Islands. Preliminary results show that even though the South Pacific has many pristine and remote islands, there are still microplastics being deposited. Plastic types within the islands are similar to each other, whilst those in Australia are different. However, there are similarities as well in two types of plastics: Polyethylene (PE) and Polypropylene (PP). This is expected as they are the most common plastics found globally. Our results compare well with other regions of the world, though on a smaller scale. We found that there are no significant differences in number of plastics whether it is in the wet or dry season. We also found that microplastics are likely coming from the ocean and reemitted into the atmosphere within the pacific islands. This could be from the South Pacific Garbage Patch (SPGP) in the South Pacific Ocean. This was shown through HYSPLIT back trajectories of 7 days, performed on the Fiji site with samples collected over a temporal duration of 1 year. On the other hand, in Australia we found that polystyrene is the most common plastic, likely to be locally sourced as Sydney is higher in population and pertains a larger scale of industrial areas. Further research and sample collection within South Pacific islands at different sites is needed to be able to determine the sources of the microplastics.