Detection of microplastics in fish using computed tomography and deep learning.

Marine organisms have been observed ingesting microplastic particles, with field analyses indicating fibers and fragments as prevalent forms. Current microplastic detection methods are mainly time-consuming, susceptible to cross-contamination, and expensive. Furthermore, these techniques, being disruptive, do not allow for the exact localization of the microplastic in the sample.

Multi-benthic size approach to unveil different environmental conditions in a Mediterranean harbor area (Ancona, Adriatic Sea, Italy).

Harbors are hubs of human activity and are subject to the continuous discharge and release of industrial, agricultural, and municipal waste and contaminants. Benthic organisms are largely known to reflect environmental conditions they live in. Despite meio- and macrofauna interacting within the benthic system, they are ecologically distinct components of the benthos and as such may not necessarily respond to environmental conditions and/or disturbances in the same way.

Preliminary results on the occurrence and anatomical distribution of microplastics in wild populations of Nephrops norvegicus from the Adriatic Sea.

This study reports the shapes, dimensional classes, types and counts of microplastics (MPs) found in 23 individuals of N. norvegicus collected from two wild populations of the Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean basin). The focus was on three different anatomical compartments (gut, hepatopancreas and tail), which were analysed separately.

First occurrence and composition assessment of microplastics in native mussels collected from coastal and offshore areas of the northern and central Adriatic Sea.

In recent years, the occurrence of microplastics in the aquatic environment has gathered increasing scientific interest. Several studies have shown that the ingestion of microplastics may negatively influence the physiology of marine organisms having different feeding strategies, particularly in those species which cannot discriminate between food sources. Recent studies highlighted the potential for such particles to accumulate in the food web, posing risks to human health via the consumption of seafood.

Seabed litter composition, distribution and sources in the Northern and Central Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean).

Detecting the origin of marine benthic litter is fundamental for developing policies aimed at achieving the Good Environmental Status in European Seas by 2020, as requested by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The abundance and composition of benthic litter in the Northern and Central Adriatic Sea were investigated at 67 stations with bottom trawl nets. Average density of benthic litter was 913±80items/km, ranking the Adriatic as one of the most polluted basins worldwide.