Chemical composition of microplastics floating on the Mediterranean Sea surface Mikaël Kedzierski Bretagne Sud University, France Maialen Palazot Bretagne Sud University, France Lata Soccalingame Bretagne Sud University, France Mathilde Falcou-Préfol University of Antwerp, Belgium Gabriel Gorsky Sorbonne University, France François Galgani LERPAC, France Stéphane Bruzaud Bretagne Sud University, France Maria Luiza Pedrotti Sorbonne University, France This is a section of Ninth International Symposium “Monitoring of Mediterranean Coastal Areas: Problems and Measurement Techniques”(DOI: 10.36253/979-12-215-0030-1) by Laura Bonora, Donatella Carboni, Matteo De Vincenzi, Giorgio Matteucci Firenze University Press Firenze 2022 https://doi.org/10.36253/979-12-215-0030-1.44

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Main objective of this study was to describe chemical composition of MP collected in surface waters of Mediterranean Sea. Samples were collected by manta net during Tara Mediterranean expedition (June–Nov.2014). Our results pointed to certain homogeneity at Mediterranean Sea scale. Main polymers collected were polyethylene (PE) (67.3±2.4%), polypropylene (20.8±2.1%), polystyrene (3.0±0.9%). Still, discrepancies, confirmed by literature, were observed at mesoscale level. Thus, in North Tyrrhenian Sea, proportion of PE was significantly lower than average value of Mediterranean Sea (57.9±10.5%).

 Microplastics Mediterranean Sea FTIR Chemical composition Poly(ethylene)

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