Microplastic accumulation in a Zostera marina L. bed at Deerness Sound, Orkney, Scotland

Abstract

Seagrasses have global distribution and are highly productive and economically valuable habitats. They are sensitive and vulnerable to a range of human-induced pressures, including ongoing exposure to marine litter, such as microplastic particles (50% of the total microplastics observed across all samples. This is the first known study on Z. marina to describe microplastic loading within a seagrass bed and to identify microplastic adherence to seagrass blades.© 2020 Elsevier Lt