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

在这个项目中，将研究微塑料如何在美国东部沿海地区的沉积物中积累。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湾到更远的近海的沉积物岩芯中随着时间的推移塑料沉积。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的速度的信息。通过更好地了解微塑料的积累，可以建立更可靠的计算机模型来预测沉积层是如何产生的，以及微塑料未来的分布及其对沿海环境的影响。该项目将促进哥伦比亚大学初级科学家和研究生以及附近高中生的培训和专业成长。 这项研究调查了哈德逊河、长岛海湾和海岸50公里范围内近岸海洋沉积物中积累的微塑料的时空变异性。微塑料将在用脂溶荧光染料染色后通过荧光显微镜进行鉴定。这些岩心上已有的年代地层数据将被用来限制年龄估计，并允许对上个世纪微塑性堆积进行定量比较。特别是，将检验以下假设：a)在大城市环境(例如城市)附近采集的样品与在开阔海洋中采集的样品的垂直整合微塑料浓度不同，随着我们离城市越来越近，浓度会增加；b)微塑料浓度大约在1950年左右开始积累，并在过去几十年中以指数速度增加。该项目的结果将提供所需的基本数据，以了解控制微塑料颗粒随时间的运输和分布的自然过程，并开发预测其在海洋沉积环境中未来微塑料浓度的模型。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.