scholarly journals Evidence of Microplastic Size Impact on Mobility and Transport in the Marine Environment: A Review and Synthesis of Recent Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arefeh Shamskhany ◽  
Zhuoran Li ◽  
Preet Patel ◽  
Shooka Karimpour

Marine Microplastics (MPs) exhibit a wide range of properties due to their variable origins and the weathering processes to which they are exposed. MP’s versatile properties are connected to their dispersal, accumulation, and deposition in the marine environment. MP transport and dispersion are often explained by analogy with sediments. For natural sediments, one of the key features linked to transport and marine morphology is particle size. There is, however, no size classification defined for MP particles and MPs constitute all plastic particles sized smaller than the threshold of 5 mm. In this study, based on existing knowledge in hydrodynamics and natural sediment transport, the impact of MP size on turbulent entrainment, particle settling, and resuspension is described. Moreover, by analyzing several quantitative studies that have provided size distribution, size-selective accumulation of MPs in various regions of the marine environment is reported on. The preferential presence of MPs based on their size in different marine compartments is discussed based on the governing hydrodynamic parameters. Furthermore, the linkage between polymer properties and MP shape and size is explored. Despite the evident connection between hydrodynamic transport and MP size presented, classification of MP size presents challenges. MP size, shape, and density appear simultaneously in the definition of many hydrodynamic parameters described in this study. Unlike mineral sediments that possess a narrow range of density and shape, plastics are manufactured in a wide variety of densities and marine MPs are versatile in shape. Classification for MP size should incorporate particle variability in terms of polymer density and shape.

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Junxiu Zhang ◽  
Haiyang Tang ◽  
Shiguo Chen

In the current era, electromagnetic radiation is everywhere. Every day electromagnetic radiation and static electricity caused by a variety of hazards. So, anti-electromagnetic radiation and anti-static awareness gradually enjoys popular support, more attention are gained by people on the anti-electromagnetic radiation and anti-static. This caused radiation protection and anti-static clothing industry’s rise by the day. Radiation protection and anti-static clothing will enter various households to provide a certain amount of protection to the people's health. We discuss two parts in this paper, specifically from the effects of the electromagnetic radiation and electrostatic effects which started on radiation clothing and anti-static clothing. The main contents of this paper are as follows: The first part of the definition of electromagnetic radiation and its brief introduction, while explaining the types of electromagnetic radiation and electromagnetic radiation sources in daily lives, followed by the emphasis of serious harms on electromagnetic radiation on human health It is precisely because of electromagnetic radiation on people's lives have serious threat, that makes the development of radiation protection. This follows the basic introduction of the radiation suit and the development of radiation protection clothings. The development of radiation protection suits is an established industry. Materials made of radiation protection are constantly changing, but their basic working principle has not changed. Followed by the introduction of the basic principles of radiation protection clothings, we theoretically present specific analysis and demonstration. However, the theoretical analysis and practice is often consists a certain gap, so we highlight a few actual situations on the impact of radiation protection clothings. Finally, we present a simple discussion on wide range of applications of radiation protection clothings. The thought process of second part is similar as the first part, respectively, we introduce the health hazards and the impact on people's lives of electrostatic effect and static electricity . Followed by that it is the basic principles, relevant analysis and discussion of anti-static clothing Finally, we provide the detailed explanation of the application of anti-static clothing.


Author(s):  
N. B. Kondratyev ◽  
E. V. Kazantsev ◽  
M. V. Osipov ◽  
O. S. Rudenko ◽  
E. N. Krylova

Sulfur dioxide is used to ensure the safety of fruit raw materials and semi-finished products used for the production of confectionery. This preservative has allergenic properties. In accordance with the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union TR CU 022/2011 "Food products in terms of their labeling" the content of sulfur dioxide must be specified when labeling confectionery products, if its content exceeds 10 mg per kg. The definition of this preservative in raw materials, semi-finished products and confectionery in accordance with the current GOST 26811 “Confectionery. The iodometric method for determining the mass fraction of total sulfuric acid is often difficult because of the complexity of confectionery products, the formation of intensive staining of the solutions under study and the ability of sulfur dioxide to react with other components of the objects under study. Therefore, the task of developing methods with the optimization of the sample preparation stage of the samples under study, which allow one to fully determine sulfur dioxide in confectionery products, semi-finished products and raw materials, is relevant. The purpose of this work was to develop methods for determining sulfur dioxide in raw materials, semi-finished products and various names of confectionery products, as well as assessing the impact of these types of raw materials and semi-finished products on the content of sulfur dioxide in confectionery products. The results showed that sulfur dioxide is present in many raw materials. In mg per 1 kg of sugar in white sand from 1 to 9, molasses from 25 to 52, wheat flour from 9 to 15, starch from 3 to 17. In fruit raw materials from 5 to 545 mg per kg. In confectionery: marshmallow and marshmallow from 8 to 29, gingerbread from 6 to 25, biscuits from 0 to 16, chocolate from 8 to 13. Based on the data obtained, it can be concluded that the content of sulfur dioxide in raw materials and semi-finished confectionery products is a very wide range, which makes it necessary to control the quality of all raw materials entering the production. Sulfur dioxide, used as a preservative for fruit raw materials, can significantly increase the content of this allergen in confectionery made using such raw materials. Ensuring the level of sulfur dioxide less than 10 mg / kg is achieved using raw materials with low content of sulfur dioxide and technological methods.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 647-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafet Cagri Ozturk ◽  
Ilhan Altinok

The plastic litter in the seas and oceans has become one of the major threats for environment and a wide range of marine species worldwide. Microplastics are the most common litters in the marine environment corresponding to 60-80% of the total litter in the world’s seas. The risk factor of plastics is inversely associated with the size of the plastic. In the present study, we reviewed the state of knowledge regarding the impact of plastic pollution on marine environment and marine species, assessing the ingestion incidences, elimination of plastics, interactions of plastics with other pollutants, and effects on photosynthesis. Records of marine species ingesting plastic have increased and begin to attract considerable attention. Metadata generated from the review of related papers in the present study was used to evaluate the current knowledge on the plastic ingestion by different marine species. The retrieved data from reviewed articles revealed that the ingestion of plastic by marine animals have been documented in more than 560 species including fish, crustaceans, mammals, sea turtles, bivalves, gastropods even in sea stars and limpets. The size of ingested plastics varied from species to species generally depending on the feeding behavior. Microplastics showed the highest number of bibliographic citations in the plastic ingestion studies. They are mostly ingested by planktivorous and filter feeder species. Meso, macro, and occasionally megaplastics are reported in marine mammals and sea turtles since they often confuse plastic for their prey. The sensitivity and size of the detected plastics may vary based on the analytical plastic detection methods.


Author(s):  
Anita Helen Harris

Purpose – Research has shown mindfulness-based therapies to be an effective therapeutic intervention for a wide range of illnesses and disorders. However, little is known about how it may be helpful to individuals with addiction problems. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate by qualitative approach the impact of the newly introduced mindfulness-based relapse prevention programme (MBRP) programme on the TC to which it was introduced and to explore clients perception of and attitude to the programme. More specifically it aimed to examine how it may be helpful for individuals with substance abuse problems. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach was drew upon using both focus group methods and individual semi-structured interviews with clients of the TC to which it was introduced. Thematic analysis was performed on data collected. Findings – Notwithstanding implementation issues, findings suggest MBRP to be a valuable and worthwhile programme with real perceived benefits. Research limitations/implications – Clients’ detoxing cited real perceived gains as a result of participating which has clear implications for a TC which offers methadone detoxification. Originality/value – It is noted that MBRP research is in its infancy, and whilst a number of quantitative studies have been carried out, little qualitative research exists. If MBRP is to be considered an effective relapse prevention strategy, research must clarify the process underlying participant’s use of mindfulness in a drug-free setting.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Konstantinos Kapsalis ◽  
Maria Kavvalou ◽  
Ioanna Damikouka ◽  
Olga Cavoura

AbstractOil spills at sea pose risks to the marine environment and to the economy of many nations. Marine ecosystems are very vulnerable and precious as producers of oxygen and as regulators of climate. Therefore, their protection and preservation are necessary. In the event of an oil spill, anthropogenic clean-up activities and natural weathering processes can minimize the negative effects on marine organisms, and the marine environment in general. The target of this study was to investigate the status of the sea along the coastline of the Saronic Gulf, Greece, a year after the sinking of the Agia Zoni II oil tanker. Seawater samples from 15 sampling locations from Phlisvos coast to Anavissos, an area easily approached by bathers with recreational interest, were collected and analysed for total petroleum hydrocarbons. Concentrations up to a maximum of 56.6 μg/L were detected. Despite the large extent of the initial hydrocarbon pollution, the immediate clean-up operations and natural weathering and/or sorption processes have reduced the impact of the spill on surface waters.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Ramtahal

This MRP will examine how food can be used as a tool for challenging traditional nation stories and growing notions of what it means to be Canadian. There is an opportunity to write and shape a Canadian narrative that is inclusive of its evolving demography while simultaneously reconciling its violent history by developing a Canadian culinary identity. Food is political, social and cultural. Food can bring people together and can provide a platform to have compelling discussions about what it means to be Canadian; who is included in the definition of Canadian; and, how we can develop a sense of Canadianness that speaks to an evolving population. Historically and at present, Canada’s story has often excluded or minimized the cultural, political and social contributions of Indigenous peoples and racialized immigrants. There remains a prevailing sense of Canadian identity being tethered to whiteness despite over a century of global immigration. However, the very idea of what defines Canadianness is relatively tenuous one. There are few traits, markers, or qualities that are seen as characteristically Canadian. This is even more true for Canada’s culinary identity. What exactly is Canadian food? Canada, as a nation, is a relatively new country without a clear culinary identity. Further, Canada is an expansive land mass covering different time zones, geographic regions, and climates. To further complicate matters, it is place for people from all over the world to immigrate. Nowhere is the impact of immigration and the diversity of people more evident than in Toronto. How the city has changed demographically is reflected in the diversification of it’s culinary landscape. The wide range of available foods reveals and affirms how the appetites and desires of those that live here have also changed. International foods, restaurants and markets are not only ubiquitous, but a defining characteristic of the city. Where, what and how people eat can provide insight into how historical systems of inequality and colonial narratives persist. Growing and developing Canadian culinary identity is a way of challenging the idea of whiteness as a prerequisite for being Canadian. It is a potential way to acknowledge and include immigrant contributions. Food is wrapped up in politics of inequality and injustice, just as much as it is in pleasure and desire. Mapping how food is used as a tool that furthers colonization and racist dogma is key for shifting food to a tool for education and understanding. Food has the power to open up conversation and reshape understandings of Canadian identity through developing and defining a distinct Canadian culinary position. If an understanding about Canadian culinary identity is inclusive of its complex and divergent cultural and political history, then perhaps there is an opportunity to rethink Canadian identity as a whole. The goal of this MRP is to establish that food can be used as an ideological intervention that examines, challenges and reimagines Canadian identity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-107
Author(s):  
A. E. Kosarev

Intensive discussions on a wide range of topics took place at the conference which was focused on measuring income and wealth in CIS countries and Eastern Europe, organized by IARIW and Higher School of Economics in Moscow in September 2019. The article deals with some topics of the conference.As the macroeconomic analysis shows, the impact of globalization on the distribution of global income is one of the factors changing the global centers of power. Research on multifactor productivity, the slowdown of which is observed according to some estimates during two recent decades, becomes more important. The development of tools using the purchasing power parities provides additional capacity in assessing the stratification of economies and helps expand macroeconomic estimates and analysis’ base.Along with the macroeconomic topics, the article deals with the key points of discussion on measuring income. One of the focus areas today is assessing poverty based on the multidimensional approach which allows enhancing substantively the poverty analysis. While considering the income stratification, the attention in the article is also paid to the definition of the middle class basing on the expenditures’ pattern, in addition to a standard definition based on the income level.


Environments ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 93
Author(s):  
Anabel Sanchez-Plaza ◽  
Annelies Broekman ◽  
Javier Retana ◽  
Adriana Bruggeman ◽  
Elias Giannakis ◽  
...  

Climate and other human-induced changes will increase water scarcity in world areas such as in the Mediterranean. Adaptation principles need to be urgently incorporated into water management and stakeholder engagement needs to be strengthened at all steps of the management cycle. This study aimed to analyse and compare stakeholder-preferred water management options (WMOs) to face climate change related challenges and to foster adaptation in four Mediterranean river basins. The challenges and WMOs of the four river basins identified by stakeholders were analysed examining to what extent the WMOs tackled the identified challenges. The impact of the WMOs resulting from a participatory modelling method was included in a comparative analysis of the stakeholders’ WMOs preferences. The results indicate the participatory approach that was applied allowed local priorities and real-world challenges to be defined with adequate detail as well as the definition of tailored responses. The participatory impact analysis provided an integrated view of the river basin as an interrelated system. The participatory evaluation of the WMOs was able to consider a wide range of elements and was able reflect the combined preferences of the stakeholders. Moreover, it allowed groups of basin actors with highly diverse profiles and concerns to further promote sets of these WMOs as input into decision making processes.


1987 ◽  
Vol 1987 (1) ◽  
pp. 555-557
Author(s):  
Måns Jacobsson

ABSTRACT Oil spill incidents may cause damage of several different types: damage to property, consequential loss, pure economic loss, and damage to the environment. The last type presents the greatest problems in connection with liability and compensation, because it is not easily assessed in monetary terms. This paper focuses on the problems relating to non-economic damage to the marine environment and economic loss as a consequence of damage to the environment. Some leading court cases are used to illustrate some of the problems. The definition of “pollution damage” in the international conventions, i.e., the 1969 Civil Liability Convention and the 1971 Fund Convention, is discussed. The position taken by the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund in respect to claims for non-economic damage to the environment as well as claims for pure economic loss is described. The impact the new definition of this notion in the 1984 protocol to the Civil Liability Convention would have on the law of contracting states is examined.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (10) ◽  
pp. 987-1002 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Agamuthu ◽  
SB Mehran ◽  
A Norkhairah ◽  
A Norkhairiyah

Marine debris, defined as any persistent manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment, has been highlighted as a contaminant of global environmental and economic concern. The five main categories of marine debris comprise of plastic, paper, metal, textile, glass and rubber. Plastics is recognised as the major constituent of marine debris, representing between 50% and 90% of the total marine debris found globally. Between 4.8 and 12.7 million metric tonnes of consumer plastics end up in the world oceans annually, resulting in the presence of more than 100 million particles of macroplastics in only 12 regional seas worldwide, and with 51 trillion particles of microplastic floating on the ocean surface globally. The impacts of marine debris can be branched out into three categories; injury to or death of marine organisms, harm to marine environment and effects on human health and economy. Marine mammals often accidentally ingest marine debris because of its appearance that can easily be mistaken as food. Moreover, floating plastics may act as vehicles for chemicals and/or environmental contaminants, which may be absorbed on to their surface during their use and permanence into the environment. Additionally, floating plastics is a potential vector for the introduction of invasive species that get attached to it, into the marine environment. In addition, human beings are not excluded from the impact of marine debris as they become exposed to microplastics through seafood consumption. Moreover, landscape degradation owing to debris accumulation is an eyesore and aesthetically unpleasant, thus resulting in decreased tourism and subsequent income loss. There are a wide range of initiatives that have been taken to tackle the issue of marine debris. They may involve manual removal of marine debris from coastal and aquatic environment in form of programmes and projects organised, such as beach clean-ups by scientific communities, non-governmental organizations and the removal of marine litter from Europe’s four regional seas, respectively. Other initiatives focus on assessment, reduction, prevention and management of marine debris under the umbrella of international (the United Nations Environment Programme/Mediterranean Action Plan, the Oslo/Paris Convention) and regional organisations – that is, the Helsinki Commission. There are also a number of international conventions and national regulations that encourage mitigation and management of marine debris. However, it is argued that these initiatives are short-term unsustainable solutions and the long-term sustainable solution would be adoption of circular economy. Similarly, four of the sustainable developmental goals have targets that promote mitigation of marine debris by efficient waste management and practice of 3R. As evident by the Ad Hoc Expert Group on Marine Litter and Microplastics meeting, tackling the marine debris crisis is not a straightforward, one-size-fits-all solution, but rather an integrated and continuous effort required at local, regional and global level.


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