The quantity of microplastics grew by
80% between September 2019 and May 2022 in some stretches of the
Mediterranean according to a study conducted by the Advanced
Technologies Network Center (Aten) at the University of Palermo.
Microplastics in waters off the Spanish coast increased from
1,180 to 2,180 units per litre and in the stretch from Palermo
to Gibraltar from 803 to 1,440 units, according to the findings
of the research carried out during the Ocean to Ocean Rib
Adventure mission that left Palermo on December 15, 2021 and
ended in Los Angeles on May 23, 2022
The researchers examined the presence of tiny plastic particles
at a maximum depth of one metre.
The analysis showed that the areas along the Mediterranean and
Colombian coasts, where anthropic activities have had the
greatest impact, are the most polluted, with the presence of
microplastics exceeding the average value by 75%.
"Moreover, thanks to comparison with data obtained from a
previous mission, we were able to attest to the exponential
increase of microplastics in the Mediterranean in about two and
a half years," said Professor Mariano Licciardi, head of Aten's
'Preparation and Analysis of Biomaterials' laboratory.
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