Spatial distribution and characterization of microplastics in subtidal sediments under stormwater discharge influence

MAURICIO DÍAZ JARAMILLO; FLORENCIA RODRÍGUEZ; CÉSAR PEGORARO; MARÍA SOLEDAD ISLAS; AYELÉN SUAREZ; MARIANA GONZÁLEZ

Lanzarote

Conferencia; MICRO 2020. Fate and Impact of Microplastics: Knowledge and Responsibilities; 2020

Although microplastics are transported from land-based sources to aquatic environments there is currently little knowledge about its fate from land sources to coastal marine waters. In addition to riverine discharges, storm drainages from urban settlements might represent a punctual microplastic´s source. The Mar del Plata´s city harbor (Buenos Aires, Argentina) holds the most important fishing fleet and shipyard facility in Argentina. Although that several contaminants have been reported in sediments from this area, the occurrence of microplastic has not been yet studied. The aim of this work was to evaluate the spatial distribution of microplastic in subtidal sediments (5-12 mt deep) from 4 sites in Mar del Plata's harbor, differing in their distance to "Del Barco" creek stormwater outlet