Dataset Overview | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Floating microplastics concentrations collected by citizen scientists in the coastal surface waters of the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea from 2020-10-09 to 2021-05-23 (NCEI Accession 0253923)

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This study estimated the floating microplastics concentrations load in the coastal surface waters of the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea. This dataset contains all 124 manta net trawl microplastics samples collected over 7 months by citizen scientists, in a spreadsheet format.

Dataset Citation

Cite as: de Haan, William; Uviedo, Oriol; Ballesteros, Maria; Canales, Ingrid; Curto, Xavier; Guart, Montse; Higueras, Sara; Molina, Alex; Sanchez-Vidal, Anna; The Surfing for Science Group (2022). Floating microplastics concentrations collected by citizen scientists in the coastal surface waters of the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea from 2020-10-09 to 2021-05-23 (NCEI Accession 0253923). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0253923. Accessed [date].

Dataset Identifiers

ISO 19115-2 Metadata

gov.noaa.nodc:0253923

Full Text · XML

Download Data	HTTPS (download) Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download. FTP (download) These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP).
Distribution Formats	Excel
Ordering Instructions	Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions.
Distributor	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	2020-10-09 to 2021-05-23
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates	West: .8333761 East: 3.1589521 South: 40.9104691 North: 42.3778211
Spatial Coverage Map

General Documentation	NCEI Dataset Landing Page Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. Descriptive Information Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links.
Associated Resources	The NOAA NCEI Global Marine Microplastics Database (1972-present) NCEI Collection Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download. Floating microplastic loads in the nearshore revealed through citizen science https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac5df1 journal article Parent ID (indicates this dataset is related to other data): gov.noaa.nodc:NCEI-Marine-Microplastics

Publication Dates	publication: 2022-06-23
Data Presentation Form	Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns
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	Submission Package ID: J1XPR6
Purpose	These microplastics data were collected in order to determine the concentrations of microplastics in the coastal surface waters of the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea.
Use Limitations	accessLevel: Public Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives.

Dataset Citation	Cite as: de Haan, William; Uviedo, Oriol; Ballesteros, Maria; Canales, Ingrid; Curto, Xavier; Guart, Montse; Higueras, Sara; Molina, Alex; Sanchez-Vidal, Anna; The Surfing for Science Group (2022). Floating microplastics concentrations collected by citizen scientists in the coastal surface waters of the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea from 2020-10-09 to 2021-05-23 (NCEI Accession 0253923). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0253923. Accessed [date].
Cited Authors	de Haan, William Uviedo, Oriol Ballesteros, Maria Canales, Ingrid Curto, Xavier Guart, Montse Higueras, Sara Molina, Alex Sanchez-Vidal, Anna University of Barcelona The Surfing for Science Group
Contributors	University of Barcelona
Resource Providers	Anna Sanchez-Vidal University of Barcelona University of Barcelona
Points of Contact	Ebenezer Nyadjro Mississippi State University (MSU)
Publishers	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Acknowledgments	Related Funding Agency: Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (FECYT) Project FCT-19-14747 Related Funding Agency: Ajuntament de Barcelona Grant 20S02426-00

Theme keywords	NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS microplastic concentration NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS in situ WMO_CategoryCode oceanography Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > WATER QUALITY > SEA SURFACE CONTAMINANTS > MICROPLASTIC CONCENTRATION
Data Center keywords	NODC COLLECTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS University of Barcelona NODC SUBMITTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS University of Barcelona
Instrument keywords	Provider Instruments Manta net
Place keywords	NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS Balearic (or Iberian) Sea Mediterranean Sea Mediterranean Sea - Western Basin Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > MEDITERRANEAN SEA Provider Place Names Northwestern Mediterranean Sea
Keywords	NCEI ACCESSION NUMBER 0253923

Use Constraints	Cite as: de Haan, William; Uviedo, Oriol; Ballesteros, Maria; Canales, Ingrid; Curto, Xavier; Guart, Montse; Higueras, Sara; Molina, Alex; Sanchez-Vidal, Anna; The Surfing for Science Group (2022). Floating microplastics concentrations collected by citizen scientists in the coastal surface waters of the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea from 2020-10-09 to 2021-05-23 (NCEI Accession 0253923). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0253923. Accessed [date].
Access Constraints	Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
Fees	In most cases, electronic downloads of the data are free. However, fees may apply for custom orders, data certifications, copies of analog materials, and data distribution on physical media.

Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps	2022-06-23T15:58:21Z - NCEI Accession 0253923 v1.1 was published.
Output Datasets	NCEI Accession 0253923 v1.1 NCEI Accession 0253923 v1.1 (download) published 2022-06-23T15:58:21Z

Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps	Parameter or Variable: MICROPLASTIC CONCENTRATION (measured); Units: pieces/m3; Observation Category: in situ; Sampling Instrument: Manta net; Sampling and Analyzing Method: Citizen scientists used a manta trawl that was attached to a paddle surf board or a kayak to acquire microplastics data. The trawl comprised the net, with a mesh size of 0.33 mm and a collector bag (i.e. cod end) at the end. The net dimensions used were 0.38 × 0.30 m. A Wikiloc Outdoor, S.L. free App installed in a smartphone was used for geolocation (i.e. latitude and longitude) while trawling. For every trawl, the citizen scientist entered the water with the trawl on the surf board or kayak, to which it was attached, and paddled/rowed to the beginning of the transect. Then the volunteer started paddling for about 1 h (between 1 and 2 km) following a consistent parallel transect to the coast when possible. After each trawl, the net was carried onboard before reaching back to shore and GPS recordings were interrupted. Once back to the beach, the paddle trawl was rinsed thoroughly with freshwater to ensure that all the plastic debris ended up into a replaceable collector bag, which was then sent directly back to the laboratory at the University of Barcelona. Once in the laboratory the collector bag was inverted, and all debris were washed out in a 0.33 mm sieve. Plastics were carefully extracted using standard stainless-steel tweezers under a stereo-microscope (10× to 50×) in a clean laboratory. For all collected samples, microplastics between 0.33 and 5.00 mm were captured with multi-staged 0.33 and 5.00 mm sieves. Microplastics were then dried at room temperature and placed separately on a 90 mm glass Petri dish to obtain plastic count. Each Petri dish containing plastic particles was scanned twice with a modified and color-calibrated HP G4050 flatbed scanner with a charge-coupled device sensor at high resolution (1200 dpi; 47.2 pixels mm−1).; Data Quality Method: A subset of 285 random-selected microplastics pieces (∼1.1% of the total) from two samples of each location were selected for polymer composition analysis confirmation using a Perkin Elmer Frontier FT-IR Spectrometer with a diamond crystal ATR accessory. Data on these random sample of 285 plastic pieces from two samples of each location are not included in this package..

Lineage information for: dataset

Processing Steps

Parameter or Variable: MICROPLASTIC CONCENTRATION (measured); Units: pieces/m3; Observation Category: in situ; Sampling Instrument: Manta net; Sampling and Analyzing Method: Citizen scientists used a manta trawl that was attached to a paddle surf board or a kayak to acquire microplastics data. The trawl comprised the net, with a mesh size of 0.33 mm and a collector bag (i.e. cod end) at the end. The net dimensions used were 0.38 × 0.30 m. A Wikiloc Outdoor, S.L. free App installed in a smartphone was used for geolocation (i.e. latitude and longitude) while trawling. For every trawl, the citizen scientist entered the water with the trawl on the surf board or kayak, to which it was attached, and paddled/rowed to the beginning of the transect. Then the volunteer started paddling for about 1 h (between 1 and 2 km) following a consistent parallel transect to the coast when possible. After each trawl, the net was carried onboard before reaching back to shore and GPS recordings were interrupted. Once back to the beach, the paddle trawl was rinsed thoroughly with freshwater to ensure that all the plastic debris ended up into a replaceable collector bag, which was then sent directly back to the laboratory at the University of Barcelona. Once in the laboratory the collector bag was inverted, and all debris were washed out in a 0.33 mm sieve. Plastics were carefully extracted using standard stainless-steel tweezers under a stereo-microscope (10× to 50×) in a clean laboratory. For all collected samples, microplastics between 0.33 and 5.00 mm were captured with multi-staged 0.33 and 5.00 mm sieves. Microplastics were then dried at room temperature and placed separately on a 90 mm glass Petri dish to obtain plastic count. Each Petri dish containing plastic particles was scanned twice with a modified and color-calibrated HP G4050 flatbed scanner with a charge-coupled device sensor at high resolution (1200 dpi; 47.2 pixels mm−1).; Data Quality Method: A subset of 285 random-selected microplastics pieces (∼1.1% of the total) from two samples of each location were selected for polymer composition analysis confirmation using a Perkin Elmer Frontier FT-IR Spectrometer with a diamond crystal ATR accessory. Data on these random sample of 285 plastic pieces from two samples of each location are not included in this package..

Last Modified: 2023-03-15T01:15:56Z
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov

Floating microplastics concentrations collected by citizen scientists in the coastal surface waters of the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea from 2020-10-09 to 2021-05-23 (NCEI Accession 0253923)

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