Our colleagues Coraline Mattei (MCF AMU), Laura Morel (PhD student), Véronique Lenoble (MCF Université de Toulon), Romain Bordenave (PhD student) & Manon Lagarde (CDD on project) have begun a new series of manoeuvres consisting of sampling the surface micro-layer to measure enrichment in terms of biology (species present) & chemistry: metallic contaminants and plastics.
The Ec2CO SMILE project aims to better define the the role of the marine surface microlayer in the fate of microplastics and their partitioning between the water column, the surface and the air. To do this, it asks the following questions:
- Are PMs present in greater quantities in SML than in subsurface water?
- Can PMs be emitted from SML to sea spray?
- Is the colonisation of PMs in the SML likely to affect their buoyancy and/or ingestion by living organisms?
The first two areas of study will focus on quantifying the PMs in the SML, and also aim to gain a better understanding of the interactivities between the 3 compartments: SML, water column and atmosphere. These areas will make it possible to study the presence of PMs in these three compartments at different sites impacted by a varied range of human activities. This monitoring will be carried out both quantitatively and qualitatively, as far as possible.
The third area of study concerns the fate of MPs from the SML in the water column. To this end, their distribution within the water column will be monitored as they are gradually colonised, using mesocosm experiments. Their impact on various organisms in relation to this distribution will be tested by monitoring the ingestion of these MPs by organisms whose rearing is controlled by the project partners.
