EAGER: spatio-temporal variability of microplastics in ocean and river cores using fluorescence microscopy

在该项目中，将研究微塑料如何在美国东部沿海沿着的沉积物中积累。这项研究将是第一次使用荧光显微镜技术来量化从哈德逊河和长岛海峡到更远的近海的沉积物芯中随时间推移的塑料沉积。 研究结果将提供有关微塑料如何从其来源运输到海洋以及它们在沉积物中积累速度的信息。随着对微塑料累积的更好理解，可以构建更可靠的计算机模型来预测沉积层的生成方式以及微塑料的未来分布及其对沿海环境的影响。该项目将促进来自哥伦比亚大学的初级科学家和研究生以及附近高中生的培训和专业成长。本研究调查了哈德逊河、长岛海峡和海岸50公里内近岸海洋的一个样带内沉积物中积累的微塑料的时空变异性。  用脂溶性荧光染料染色后，将通过荧光显微镜识别微塑料。这些岩心上已有的年代地层数据将用于限制年龄估计，并允许对上个世纪的微塑性累积进行定量比较。 特别是，将测试以下假设：a）在大型城市环境附近收集的样品中，微塑料的垂直综合浓度不同（例如，城市）与在公海收集的那些相比，随着我们接近城市，浓度增加;和B）微塑料浓度在1950年左右开始积累，并在过去几十年中以指数速度增长。该项目的成果将提供理解控制微塑料颗粒随时间推移的运输和分布的自然过程所需的基本数据，并开发预测其未来在海洋沉积环境中的微塑料浓度的模型。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

During this project, how microplastics accumulate within sediments along the eastern U.S. coastal setting will be investigated. This study will be the first of its kind to use fluorescent microscopy techniques to quantify plastic deposition over time in sediment cores from the Hudson River and Long Island Sound to farther offshore. Results will provide information about how microplastics get transported from their sources to the ocean and how fast they accumulate in sediments. With a better understanding of microplastic accumulation, more reliable computer models can be constructed to predict how sediment layers are generated as well as the future distribution of microplastics and their impact in the coastal environment. This project will promote the training and professional growth of junior scientists and graduate students from Columbia University as well as nearby high school students. This study investigates the spatio-temporal variability microplastics accumulating in sediments within a transect of cores from the Hudson River, Long Island Sound and nearshore ocean within 50 km of the coast. Microplastics will be identified through fluorescence microscopy after staining with a lipid soluble fluorescent dye. Chronostratigraphic data already available on these cores will be used to constrain age estimates and allow quantitative comparison of microplastic accumulation during the last century. In particular, the following hypotheses will be tested: a) vertically-integrated concentrations of microplastics differ for samples collected nearby large urban environments (e.g., cities) vs. those collected in open ocean, with concentrations increasing as we get closer to cities; and b) microplastic concentrations began accumulating around 1950 and have been increasing at an exponential rate over the past few decades. Results from this project will provide basic data needed to understand natural processes that control the transport and distribution of microplastic particulates over time and to develop models that predict their future microplastic concentrations in the oceanic sedimentary environment.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.