Microplastics in the Tidal Freshwater Potomac
Date
2019
Authors
Rhoades, Benjamin
Nguyen, Han
Wigode, Evan
Sklarew, Daniel M.
Foster, Gregory D.
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Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) are pieces of plastic between 0.33mm and 5mm and represent a near ubiquitous type of pollution and have been found in almost all bodies of water sampled. MPs represent both an ecological and a public health threat, as vectors of toxic chemicals. Only one peer-reviewed paper quantifies the microplastics issue in the Chesapeake Bay region, with no published findings regarding microplastics in tidal freshwater Potomac River. Yonkos et al. (2015) considers population density of a watersheds in the Bay region as a factor influencing MP concentrations. This study investigates MPs in the Potomac River basin and the impact of land development on MP concentrations.
Description
Keywords
Freshwater Ecology, Microplastics
Citation
Rhoades, B., Nguyen, H., Wigode, E., Sklarew, D., & Foster, G. (2019). Microplastics in the freshwater tidal Potomac. Presented at the Summer Celebration of Student Scholarship.