Skip to main content
Publications | Persons | Institutes | Projects
[ report an error in this record ]basket (1): add | show Print this page

one publication added to basket [392806]
At second glance: The importance of strict quality control – A case study on microplastic in the Southern Ocean key species Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba
Primpke, S.; Meyer, B.; Falcou-Préfol, M.; Schütte, W.; Gerdts, G. (2024). At second glance: The importance of strict quality control – A case study on microplastic in the Southern Ocean key species Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba. Sci. Total Environ. 918: 170618. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170618
In: Science of the Total Environment. Elsevier: Amsterdam. ISSN 0048-9697; e-ISSN 1879-1026, more
Peer reviewed article  

Available in  Authors 

Keywords
    Control > Quality control
    Euphausia superba Dana, 1850 [WoRMS]
    PS, Southern Ocean [Marine Regions]
    Marine/Coastal
Author keywords
    Antarctic krill; Microplastic; Southern Ocean; FTIR, fatty acids

Authors  Top 
  • Primpke, S.
  • Meyer, B.
  • Falcou-Préfol, M., more
  • Schütte, W., more
  • Gerdts, G.

Abstract
    The stomach content of 60 krill specimens from the Southern Ocean were analyzed for the presence of microplastic (MP), by testing different sample volumes, extraction approaches, and applying hyperspectral imaging Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (μFTIR). Strict quality control was applied on the generated results. A high load of residual materials in pooled samples hampered the analysis and avoided a reliable determination of putative MP particles. Individual krill stomachs displayed reliable results, however, only after re-treating the samples with hydrogen peroxide. Before this treatment, lipid rich residues of krill resulted in false assignments of polymer categories and hence, false high MP particle numbers. Finally, MP was identified in 4 stomachs out of 60, with only one MP particle per stomach. Our study highlights the importance of strict quality control to verify results before coming to a final decision on MP contamination in the environment to aid the establishment of suitable internationally standardized protocols for sampling and analysis of MP in organisms including their habitats in Southern Ocean and worldwide.

All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy Top | Authors