Microplastics in the gastrointestinal tracts of cetaceans from the United States (NCEI Accession 0209240)
This dataset contains microplastics (MPs, 1 µm-5 mm) enumerated from the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of bottlenose dolphins stranded in South Carolina, USA from 2017-2018 (initial study), and from stranded bottlenose dolphins (South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama), harbor porpoises (Maine and Washington), and a long-beaked common dolphin (Washington) from 2013-2019 (second study). Microplastics were counted in the GIT and were categorized by microplastic type and color. Individual dolphins and porpoises total length, sex, and stomach weight data are also included.
Dataset Citation
- Cite as: Battaglia, Francesca; Pfeifer, Tessa; McFee, Wayne; Beckingham, Barbara (2020). Microplastics in the gastrointestinal tracts of cetaceans from the United States (NCEI Accession 0209240). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0209240. Accessed [date].
Dataset Identifiers
ISO 19115-2 Metadata
gov.noaa.nodc:0209240
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Ordering Instructions | Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions. |
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NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information +1-301-713-3277 NCEI.Info@noaa.gov |
Dataset Point of Contact |
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information ncei.info@noaa.gov |
Time Period | 2013-08-01 to 2019-10-31 |
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates |
West: -124.1749
East: -68.301465
South: 30.230487
North: 47.734
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Dataset Progress Status | Complete - production of the data has been completed Historical archive - data has been stored in an offline storage facility |
Data Update Frequency | As needed |
Supplemental Information | Initial study: Microplastics (MPs, 1 µm-5 mm) are ubiquitous in the marine environment and are of growing environmental concern. Their abundance, small size, and global distribution render them highly bioavailable to a wide variety of marine organisms. Little is known about ingestion of MPs in marine top predators, such as cetaceans. The current study quantified the MP load in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of bottlenose dolphins stranded in South Carolina, USA from 2017-2018. GIT contents were washed into glass containers and organic material was removed using a warm base digestion. A density separation step was applied when necessary to remove sediment. Samples were filtered and dried, and MPs were enumerated under a stereomicroscope with the aid of a hot needle. MPs (125 µm – 5 mm) were detected in all GIT (N=7) of stranded bottlenose dolphins. Total MP load ranged between 123-422 among individuals. Fibers were the most abundance morphology and white/clear, black/grey, and blue were the most common color categories observed. MP research in cetaceans is challenging due to their large size, heterogeneous gut contents, and difficulty of acquiring quality samples. Findings from this investigation will aid future studies examining MP in marine apex predators like T. truncatus. Submission Package ID: 33BGLJ |
Purpose | These data were collected to support the study of the impact of microplastics on bottlenose dolphins and is the first of its kind in North America. |
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Last Modified: 2024-06-26T19:36:47Z
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov