Microplastics are accumulating in Orkney’s seagrass beds at much higher rates than in the areas surrounding them.
Marine scientists from Heriot-Watt surveyed a 100m transect of a seagrass bed in Orkney and found microplastics on all seagrass blades and in over 94% of all samples collected.
Microplastic pollution is now common in marine environments, with areas like rivers and estuaries particularly vulnerable to high levels of pollution.
The scientists measured the presence of microplastics in Orkney’s seagrass beds by taking samples of seagrass and the small creatures that live on the blades, like sea snails, shrimp-like amphipods, worms, as well as sediment from the seabed. The team confirmed that the seagrass bed was home to much higher concentrations of microplastics than the adjacent sediment.
Continue reading at Heriot-Watt University
Image via Heriot-Watt University
