Mussels reveal growing microplastic pollution in Greece’s prized seas

A diver retrieves a cage containing mussels used arsenic bioindicators to show microplastic and chemic pollution, including dense metals and integrated contaminants, during a ngo successful the Saronic Gulf. [Stelios Misinas/Reuters]

Overtourism and dense maritime traffic crossed the Mediterranean are contributing to a emergence successful contamination successful Greece’s azure waters, accidental Greek scientists who person deployed thousands of mussels connected the seafloor to assistance observe microplastics.

Mussels, filter-feeding organisms that sorb a scope of contaminants into their tissue, including invisible microplastics, person been used globally for decades arsenic a barometer of marine pollution.

Researchers astatine the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) person been utilizing them successful Greece, whose pristine beaches and limpid seas lure millions of tourists annually.

In May, they submerged cages with mussels astatine various depths and locations crossed Greece, from engaged ports to distant islands. They retrieved them successful September to analyse the particles the mussels had accumulated. To δοκιμή surface water they use a floating nett device.

“It blows your caput that successful conscionable two kilometers you tin cod each these small microplastics,” said oceanographer Argyro Adamopoulou, from the HCMR laboratory, referring to samples collected from the nett that filters the water.

The full Mediterranean Sea, a semi-enclosed basin, has go a hotspot for microplastics, the scientists said.

The particles retrieved successful Greece varied successful signifier from fragments to film, microfibers oregon pellets and were mostly bluish oregon transparent, indicating that they came from single-use plastics, such arsenic rubbish bags and water bottles, said HCMR biologist Nikoletta Digka.

They are breached down implicit clip by waves, currents and sun exposure, becoming harder to detect.
Concentrations are not yet precocious capable to beryllium harmful to humans but microplastics are recovered successful each single species the team has analysed so far, said Digka.

“On average, we find 1 oregon two microplastics per colonisation we analyze,” Digka said, warning that without action, continued fragmentation will summation the magnitude of microplastics ingested by marine organisms, raising the hazard to humans. [Reuters]