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. 2021 Sep 29:8:101516.
doi: 10.1016/j.mex.2021.101516. eCollection 2021.

A microplastic size classification scheme aligned with universal plankton survey methods

J R Bermúdez  1   2   3 , P W Swarzenski  1   4
Affiliations

A microplastic size classification scheme aligned with universal plankton survey methods

J R Bermúdez et al. MethodsX. .

Abstract

Microplastics (MP) are a pollutant that can be found in all marine ecosystems. Currently one of the most used forms to classify them is through their size. However, the current size categories in use cover an extremely wide range of sizes and are not based on a biological or physical basis. Thus, here we propose to harmonize the MP size categories with the ones already in used on plankton research for more than 120 years. This will allow the implementation of more refined MP size classes that are connected to a biological reality and will also enable the comparison of a myriad of literature on plankton research with the new work on MP.

Keywords: Classification; Food web; Microplastics; Plankton; Range; Size.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Image, graphical abstract
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Microplastic fragmentation and concomitant reduction in size/increase in abundance. There is a gap in the reporting of small microplastic abundance in the environment and the size fractions that different types of zooplanktonic organisms can ingest. It is proposed to denominate microplastic size fraction according to nomenclature already in used by the plankton community in order to make more intuitive relations between predators and potential microplastic “prey”. Frequency of reporting of microplastic lower size derived from Kooi & Koelmans, (2019). Prey size for zooplankton groups is taken from Hansen et al., (1994); the upper and lower limits of prey size that can be ingested, in terms of equivalent spherical diameters, are presented in micrometers. Figure not to scale.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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