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Microplastics in the pelagic environment around oceanic islands of the Western Tropical Atlantic Ocean

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Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that microplastic pollution is widespread in every oceanic basin; however, there is limited data available for the tropical South Atlantic Ocean. The purpose of this study was to examine the distribution, density and characteristics of plastic particles in plankton samples collected in the western tropical Atlantic Ocean. Neustonic tows (N = 160) were conducted near three important insular environments (Fernando de Noronha, Abrolhos and Trindade), and the presence of microplastics in the ocean surface of these areas was confirmed for the first time. The collected microplastic particles included hard plastic fragments, plastic films, paint chips and fibres and strands, which were classified as a secondary source of microplastics. The stock of plastic originates from both land-based and marine-based sources. This type of marine pollution in the tropical Atlantic Ocean is a potential threat to important ecological species.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the National Council for Scientific and Technological Research (CNPq) for the Ph.D. scholarship provided to Juliana A. Ivar do Sul (Process 551944/2010-2). We also thank the CNPq (Project 557184/2009-6) and the Brazilian Navy for the financial and logistic support provided to the project “Environmental contamination by persistent organic compounds, plastic fragments and pellets around the Trindade Island”. We would also like to acknowledge Fundação Pró-Tamar and the Instituto Chico Mendes de Proteção à Biodiversidade (ICMBio) for assistance during field surveys in Fernando de Noronha and Abrolhos. Dr. Keyla Travassos, Oc. Luís Henrique B. Alves and Biol. Fernando C. de Sales Junior are acknowledged for their help during fieldwork in Abrolhos, Fernando de Noronha and Trindade, respectively. We thank the anonymous referee for the invaluable criticisms and contributions. M.F.C. and G.F. are CNPq Fellows.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Gerenciamento de Ecossistemas Costeiros e Estuarinos, Departamento de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil

    Juliana A. Ivar do Sul & Monica F. Costa

  2. Laboratório de Microcontaminates Orgânicos e Ecotoxicologia Aquática, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil

    Gilberto Fillmann

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  1. Juliana A. Ivar do Sul
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  2. Monica F. Costa
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  3. Gilberto Fillmann
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Correspondence to Monica F. Costa.

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Ivar do Sul, J.A., Costa, M.F. & Fillmann, G. Microplastics in the pelagic environment around oceanic islands of the Western Tropical Atlantic Ocean. Water Air Soil Pollut 225, 2004 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-014-2004-z

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