Publications by authors named "Mathilde Falcou-Prefol"
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous in the environment. In Flanders, the bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms is currently being monitored using European perch and European eel. Since both are native species, there is an ethical need to search for other suitable biomonitors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Mediterranean Sea is one of the most studied regions in the world in terms of microplastic (MP) contamination. However, only a few studies have analysed the chemical composition of MPs at the Mediterranean Sea surface. In this context, this study aims to describe the chemical composition as a function of particle size, mass and number concentrations of MPs collected in the surface waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe development of methods to automatically determine the chemical nature of microplastics by FTIR-ATR spectra is an important challenge. A machine learning method, named k-nearest neighbors classification, has been applied on spectra of microplastics collected during Tara Expedition in the Mediterranean Sea (2014). To realize these tests, a learning database composed of 969 microplastic spectra has been created.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study addresses the challenges of analyzing microplastic pollution by proposing a protocol to determine the necessary sample size for accurate representation of microplastic characteristics.
- Based on data from the Tara Mediterranean campaign, the findings indicate that analyzing just 3% of collected microplastics can provide a reliable understanding of the overall distribution in the North West Mediterranean Basin, with an error margin under 5%.
- Additionally, analyzing 17.7% of samples allows for a more detailed overview, with a margin of error under 10%, highlighting the potential practical benefits of this approach in microplastic research.