2026-04-17T03:56:51Zhttps://recercat.cat/oai/request

oai:recercat.cat:10256/229922025-11-22T07:48:15Zcom_2072_452955com_2072_2054col_2072_453063

00925njm 22002777a 4500 dc Serra Putellas, Teresa author Colomer, Jordi author 2023-08-01 Microplastic particles (MP) are emerging pollutants ubiquitously distributed in all aquatic environments, remaining in suspension in the water column or deposited in sediment beds. MP are suspended in the water column along with other particles with whom they might interact. The current study presents the results of slow-settling MP (Polystyrene) scavenged by fast-settling sediment particles. The study covers a wide range of salinities (from freshwater to saltwater) and shear rates (from calm to mixing ecosystems). In calm regions, the scavenging by fast-settling sediment particles produces the greatest removal of MP from the water column (42 % of MP in suspension), thus increasing the MP pollution of sediment beds. In contrast, turbulence reduces the settling of MP and sediment particles (72 % of MP remain in suspension), causing more pollution than in calm regions. Although salinity increased the buoyancy of MP, the scavenging by sediment has been found to overcome the increase in buoyancy. Consequently, MP are transported to the sediment bed independently on the salinity. Therefore hotspots of MP contamination in aquatic environments need to consider both the MP and sediment interaction and the local mixing of the water column This work was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación through the Grant Number PID2021-123860OB-100, and by the European Commission through the project “Plastics monitoRIng detectiOn RemedIaTion recoverY – PRIORITY” COST Action Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Elsevier 6 Contaminants emergents en l'aigua Emerging contaminants in water Aigua -- Contaminació Water -- Pollution Microplàstics Microplastics Aigua -- Salinització Water salinization Scavenging of polystyrene microplastics by sediment particles in both turbulent and calm aquatic environments