The effects of microplastic on the thermal profile of sand: implications for marine turtle nesting grounds

Frontiers in Marine Science

Marine Science

Mariana M. P. B. Fuentes¹  Matthew Ware²  Valencia Beckwidth³ 

[1]Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States

[2]Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States

[3]Center for Marine Science, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, United States

[4]Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States

[5]College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States

关键词: sea turtle;    pollution;    plastic;    temperature;    marine debris;    nesting ground;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmars.2023.1146556

 received in 2023-01-17, accepted in 2023-05-19,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

IntroductionMicroplastics (i.e., plastic debris smaller than 5mm) found in coastal areas can impact the marine habitat used by endangered species since they may alter sand properties including temperature and permeability. Such alterations may pose a significant threat to marine turtle populations as nest productivity, sexual development, and hatchling fitness are dependent on conditions within the nest, which incubate in the sand. Given that there is a record of microplastic presence at marine turtle nesting sites, this study was conducted to explore the potential influence of microplastics on the thermal profile of sediment typical of marine turtle nesting habitat.MethodsThe experiment was conducted at the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory where the temperatures of containers of sand mixed with 5-30% v/v of either black or white microplastics were recorded from July to September 2018.ResultsThe addition of microplastics in the sand resulted in an increase in temperature – 0.017°C for each 1% v/v increase in microplastic. However, the color of the microplastic did not have a significant effect on sand temperature. Overall, the container with 30% v/v black particles had the highest mean temperature increase of 0.58°C (± 0.34°C) over the control.DiscussionThe results obtained from this study indicate that extreme concentrations of microplastics could be an issue for marine turtles as any changes in sand temperature may affect the sex ratio of hatchlings and/or alter nest productivity.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Fuentes, Beckwidth and Ware