Microplastic in fluvial environments - an example of the Elbe river near Dessau-Roßlau, Germany

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Kruse ◽  
Hannes Laermanns ◽  
Friederike Stock ◽  
Corinna Foeldi ◽  
Dirk Schaefer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Samples ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Aquatic Environments ◽  
Elbe River ◽  
Discharge System ◽  
Marine Systems ◽  
Digital Microscope ◽  
The Elbe River ◽  
Fluvial Environments

<p>Accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic environments is an issue of emerging concern. After research initially focused on marine systems, more and more studies have been published investigating the abundance of MPs in freshwater environments in recent years.</p><p>The objective of our research is to examine, whether the Mulde river represents an input pathway for MP particles to the Elbe discharge system. Our hypothesis is that the chemical industries located in the catchment area of the Mulde act as a discharge source of primary MPs which are subsequently transported downstream towards the Elbe. Accordingly, there should be more (primary) MPs just downstream of the river mouth, compared to upstream. Therefore, 2 sediment samples and 18 water samples from the Elbe river upstream and downstream the Mulde confluence were taken and analysed on their MP contents.</p><p>To extract MPs, sample preparation requires various steps including drying, size-fractionation, reduction of organic matter and density separation. The gained fractions are then filtered through glass microfibres paper using a vacuum pump. The dried filters are photographed and examined for MPs under a digital microscope. Representative particles are picked and measured. Finally, we determine their polymer type by pyrolysis or µFTIR.</p><p>A key result is that both, sediment and water samples, show a substantial increase in primary MPs (especially spheres) just downstream the mouth of the Mulde. Regarding the sampling technique of water samples, we observe differences in the amount and shape of MP particles between filter cascades and filter nets.</p>

scholarly journals Microplastic in Water and Sediments at the Confluence of the Elbe and Mulde Rivers in Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannes Laermanns ◽  
Georg Reifferscheid ◽  
Jonas Kruse ◽  
Corinna Földi ◽  
Georg Dierkes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Samples ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
Mesh Size ◽  
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Aquatic Environments ◽  
Elbe River ◽  
Pyrolysis Gas ◽  
Digital Microscope ◽  
Different Shapes ◽  
The Elbe River

Accumulation of microplastics in aquatic environments is an issue of emerging concern. Initially, research focused on marine systems. However, recent studies also investigate the abundance of microplastics in freshwater environments. Rivers connect terrestrial with marine ecosystems and contribute a considerable share of macro- and microplastics to the oceans. A previous study found a large amount of micro-spheres in Dessau downstream the river mouth of the Mulde. Therefore, the objective of this research was to examine whether the Mulde river with its highly industrialized catchment contributes to the microplastic pollution of the Elbe. Sediment (Van Veen grab sampler) and water samples (filter cascade with the smallest mesh size 50 μm and nets with the smallest mesh size 150 μm) were taken from the Elbe river up- and downstream the confluence with the Mulde. After extensive sample preparation, we examined the samples under a digital microscope and determined polymer types by pyrolysis Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (pyr-GC-MS). The amount of primary microplastics increased in sediment and water samples just downstream the confluence. Those microplastics originate probably from the Mulde. We measured larger amounts and different shapes of microplastics in filter cascades that have a smaller mesh size compared to the nets.

scholarly journals Mycoplankton Biome Structure and Assemblage Processes Differ Along a Transect From the Elbe River Down to the River Plume and the Adjacent Marine Waters

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanyan Yang ◽  
Stefanos Banos ◽  
Gunnar Gerdts ◽  
Antje Wichels ◽  
Marlis Reich
Keyword(s):  
River Mouth ◽  
Well Being ◽  
River Plume ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Stream Order ◽  
Marine Waters ◽  
Elbe River ◽  
The Elbe River

Rivers are transport systems and supply adjacent ecosystems with nutrients. They also serve human well-being, for example as a source of food. Microorganism biodiversity is an important parameter for the ecological balance of river ecosystems. Despite the knowledge that fungi are key players in freshwater nutrient cycling and food webs, data on planktonic fungi of streams with higher stream order are scarce. This study aims to fill this knowledge gap by a fungi-specific 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene tag sequencing approach, investigating mycoplankton diversity in the Elbe River along a transect from shallow freshwater, to the estuary and river plume down to the adjacent marine waters (sections of seventh stream order number). Using multivariate analyses and the quantitative process estimates (QPEs) method, questions (i) of how mycoplankton communities as part of the river continuum change along the transect, (ii) what factors, spatial and environmental, play a role, and (iii) what assembly processes, such as selection or dispersion, operate along the transect, were addressed. The partitioning of mycoplankton communities into three significant distant biomes was mainly driven by local environmental conditions that were partly under spatial control. The assembly processes underlying the biomes also differed significantly. Thus, variable selection dominated the upstream sections, while undominated processes like ecological drift dominated the sections close to the river mouth and beyond. Dispersal played a minor role. The results suggest that the ecological versatility of the mycoplankton communities changes along the transect as response, for example, to a drastic change from an autotrophic to a heterotrophic system caused by an abrupt increase in the river depth. Furthermore, a significant salinity-dependent occurrence of diverse basal fungal groups was observed, with no clade found exclusively in marine waters. These results provide an important framework to help understand patterns of riverine mycoplankton communities and serve as basis for a further in-depth work so that fungi, as an important ecological organism group, can be integrated into models of, e.g., usage-balance considerations of rivers.

Pengaruh Variasi Waktu Paparan Gelombang Ultrasonik dalam Mengurangi Jumlah Bakteri coliform pada Sampel Air Sungai Kahayan

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neny Kurniawati, Kerelius, Sunariyati ◽  
Luqman Hakim, Dyah Ayu Pramoda Wardani, Widya Krestina ◽  
Dwi Tyas Setiawan, Ferry Purwanto, Diah K. Fatmala
Keyword(s):  
Water Treatment ◽  
River Water ◽  
Ultrasonic Wave ◽  
Exposure Time ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Wave Exposure ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Grab Sampling

Abstrak – Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji pengaruh waktu paparan gelombang ultrasonik terhadap pengurangan jumlah koloni bakteri coliform pada sampel air sungai Kahayan. Pengambilan sampel air sungai dilakukan dengan teknik Grab Sampling menggunakan alat Kemmerer Sampler. Sampel air yang didapatkan diberikan paparan gelombang ultrasonik secara langsung, tanpa merubah kondisi lingkungan awal. Waktu paparan divariasikan pada 1 jam, 2 jam, 3 jam, 4 jam, dan 5 jam dengan frekuensi 40 kHz untuk memperoleh data waktu optimum. Uji coliform dilakukan dengan metode MPN, dengan tahapan uji pendugaan, uji penegasan, dan perhitungan koloni. Hasil uji MPN 24 jam setelah paparan menunjukkan bahwa penggunaan ultrasonik sebagai antibateri dapat optimum ketika diberikan paparan dengan waktu 3 jam, dengan efisiensi  96%. Kata kunci: antibakteri, coliform, ultrasonik, water treatment, sungai Kahayan  Abstract – This study aims to examine the effect of ultrasonic wave exposure time on reducing the number of coliform bacterial colonies in the Kahayan river water samples. River water sampling is done using the Grab Sampling technique using the Kemmerer Sampler tool. The water samples obtained were given direct ultrasonic wave exposure, without changing the initial environmental conditions. The exposure time is varied in 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours and 5 hours with a frequency of 40 kHz to obtain optimum time data. Coliform test was carried out by the MPN method, with the stages of the estimation test, affirmation test, and colony calculation. The MPN test results 24 hours after exposure showed that the use of ultrasonic as an antibody can be optimum when given exposure with a time of 3 hours, with an efficiency of 96%.Keywords : antibakterial, coliform, ultrasonic, water treatment, Kahayan river

The occurrence of xenoestrogens in the Elbe river and the North Sea

Chemosphere ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 245-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
O.P Heemken ◽  
H Reincke ◽  
B Stachel ◽  
N Theobald
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Elbe River ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Elbe River
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