An Assessment of the Fate and Effects of Tire Wear Particles in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina
| dc.contributor.author | Kell , Sarah E. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-01-25T23:04:01Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2021-01-25T23:04:01Z | |
| dc.date.updated | 2021-01-25T23:04:01Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | Studies conducted within the Charleston Harbor, SC watershed have revealed that >90% of total microplastics in sediments at some locations are tire wear particles (TWP), but little is known about the pathways by which they enter coastal waters or their potential effects on estuarine biota. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the role of stormwater detention ponds as a pathway by which these particles enter Charleston Harbor, and to determine the gut and gill retention times of TWP in grass shrimp, <i>Palaemonetes pugio</i>. Microplastics, composed mostly of TWP, were highly abundant in sediments of both stormwater ponds and adjacent tidal creeks, ranging from 49–8812 and 4–4835 microplastics/kg ww, respectively, which were 29–146 times higher than that of Charleston Harbor sediment. Grass shrimp exposed to various size classes (38-355 µm) of crumb rubber, used as a surrogate for TWP, at an initial concentration of 50,000 particles/L readily ingested and ventilated particles in all size classes. Crumb rubber in the 63–150 and the 250–355 μm size classes were retained in the digestive tract significantly longer (avg. 64.5 hrs and 39.8 hrs, respectively) than prey, <i>Artemia</i> nauplii (avg. 19.8 hrs, p<0.001). The results of the present study suggest that stormwater detention ponds serve as both sinks and conduits for microplastic transport to coastal waterways and the ingestion of TWP by grass shrimp has the potential for chronic effects including reduced energy assimilation, growth, and fitness. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/3830 | |
| dc.language.rfc3066 | en | |
| dc.title | An Assessment of the Fate and Effects of Tire Wear Particles in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina |