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Microplastics concentrations in the surface waters of Kingston Harbor, Jamaica collected from 2017-09-14 to 2017-12-15 (NCEI Accession 0284765)

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This study estimated the concentration of microplastics (i.e. plastics measuring less than 5mm; reported in unit of items/m3 and items/km2) in the surface waters of Kingston Harbor, Jamaica collected from 2017-09-14 to 2017-12-15. Microplastics were collected using a Manta net with a mesh size of 335 μm, towed at 1 knot for 15 minutes. This dataset contains the results from all 32 surface water samples, in a spreadsheet format.

Dataset Citation

Cite as: Rose, Deanna; Webber, Mona (2023). Microplastics concentrations in the surface waters of Kingston Harbor, Jamaica collected from 2017-09-14 to 2017-12-15 (NCEI Accession 0284765). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0284765. Accessed [date].

Dataset Identifiers

ISO 19115-2 Metadata

gov.noaa.nodc:0284765

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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	2017-09-14 to 2017-12-15
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates	West: -76.84864 East: -76.74986 South: 17.93172 North: 17.95203
Spatial Coverage Map

General Documentation

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Descriptive Information
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Associated Resources

The NOAA NCEI Global Marine Microplastics Database (1972-present)
- NCEI Collection
  Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download.
Rose, D., & Webber, M. (2019). Characterization of microplastics in the surface waters of Kingston Harbour. Science of The Total Environment, 664, 753–760. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.319
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.319
  related journal article

gov.noaa.nodc:NCEI-Marine-Microplastics

Publication Dates	publication: 2023-11-05
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: YPXRBR
Purpose	These microplastic concentration data were collected in order to determine their abundance in the surface waters of Kingston Harbor, Jamaica during 2017-09-14 to 2017-12-15
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: Rose, Deanna; Webber, Mona (2023). Microplastics concentrations in the surface waters of Kingston Harbor, Jamaica collected from 2017-09-14 to 2017-12-15 (NCEI Accession 0284765). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0284765. Accessed [date].
Cited Authors	Rose, Deanna University of the West Indies Webber, Mona University of the West Indies
Contributors	University of the West Indies
Resource Providers	Mona Webber University of the West Indies University of the West Indies
Points of Contact	Ebenezer Nyadjro Mississippi State University; Northern Gulf Institute (NGI)
Publishers	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Acknowledgments	Related Funding Agency: International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences (ICENS) Related Funding Agency: Department of Life Sciences, Centre for Marine Sciences Related Funding Agency: Grace Kennedy Foundation, James S. Moss Solomon Snr. Grant

Theme keywords	NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS microplastic concentration NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS in situ laboratory analyses 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 the West Indies NODC SUBMITTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS University of the West Indies
Instrument keywords	NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer Manta net microscope Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords FTIR SPECTROMETER > Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer MICROSCOPES > MICROSCOPES NETS > NETS
Place keywords	NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS Caribbean Sea Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > CARIBBEAN SEA Provider Place Names Atlantic Ocean
Keywords	NCEI ACCESSION NUMBER 0284765

Use Constraints	Cite as: Rose, Deanna; Webber, Mona (2023). Microplastics concentrations in the surface waters of Kingston Harbor, Jamaica collected from 2017-09-14 to 2017-12-15 (NCEI Accession 0284765). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0284765. 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	2023-11-05T12:45:35Z - NCEI Accession 0284765 v1.1 was published.
Output Datasets	NCEI Accession 0284765 v1.1 NCEI Accession 0284765 v1.1 (download) published 2023-11-05T12:45:35Z

Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps	Parameter or Variable: microplastic concentration (measured); Units: items/m3; Observation Category: in situ; Sampling Instrument: Manta net; Sampling and Analyzing Method: Sampling was conducted fortnightly (September 14, November 2, November 16, December 1 and December 15, 2017) at four stations. Stations included; a control (Ctrl.), located outside the Harbor adjacent to the town of Port Royal; stations within the harbor adjacent to Gallow's Point (GP); Refuge Cay (RC); Buccaneer beach (BB), the latter at the eastern end of the Harbor. Stations inside the harbor were selected near the southern shore along the Palisadoes tombolo, which is home to many species of juvenile fish and shellfish and is threatened by the accumulation of debris that constantly drifts south across the harbor from the gullies and rivers. All microplastics samples were collected in duplicate trawls at each station between 10 a.m. and 12 noon using a 335 μ mesh manta trawl (obtained from 5 Gyres Institute as part of the Trawl-Share program). The trawl had a 24″ × 9.84″ opening and was towed along a transect at each station for 15min at a speed of ~1 knot and ensuring that the net sampled outside of the wake of the boat. At the end of each trawl, the contents of the 335 μ cod end bag were transferred into clean (acid-washed with 10% HNO3 and rinsed thoroughly with deionized water (18.2MΩ)), labelled glass jars using 500mL of water from the respective station and the bag rinsed thoroughly with seawater. The bottles were placed in a cooler with ice packs for preservation and brought to the laboratory for analysis. Flow meters (General Oceanics L6) were placed across the mouth of the net to record the length of tow and hence the volume of sea water sampled. In addition, GPS Coordinates were recorded at the beginning and end of each tow using a handheld GPS (Garmin GPSMAP 62). Microplastics samples were prepared for analysis using modifications of the protocol outlined by Masura et al. (2015). Samples were wet sieved through 5 mm and 0.25 mm stacked sieves. Material retained on the 0.25 mm (250 μm) sieve was transferred to a beaker and placed in an oven at 90 °C for 24 h or more until completely dry. The organic material was oxidized with 20 mL aliquots of 0.05 M Fe(II) solution and 30% H2O2 on a hot plate at 75 °C for 30 min, with additional 20 mL aliquots of 30% H2O2 added every 30 min until oxidation was complete. A saturated NaCl solution (~5M) was used to facilitate the separation of the plastics from heavier non-polymeric materials by the addition of 6 g of NaCl per 20 mL of peroxide. The suspension was covered with foil and allowed to separate overnight in the density separator funnel. Floating plastics were then collected on a 0.25 mm (250 μm) sieve and rinsed free of the hypersaline solution with distilled water. The settled portion was also passed through the sieve and assessed for any additional microplastics. Collectively, the microplastic particles were dried and were placed in a vial prior to microscope separation, counting and classification. To avoid misidentification of microplastics using a microscope, a particle was established as microplastic based on visual criteria, ensuring that there are no visible cellular or organic structures, colored particles are homogenous in color, transparent particles are viewed under high magnification to exclude a biological origin and fibers should be equally thick with three-dimensional bending to exclude a biological origin. Prepared samples were illuminated with gooseneck lighting (Schott ACE 1) and viewed under a Meiji EMZ8TR stereomicroscope at a magnification of ×40. Microplastics were separated from any apparent undigested organic material. Samples were photographed at a magnification of ×7 with the aid of Lumenera Infinity Analyze software. Microplastics abundance in particles/km2 and particles/m3 was then computed from the tally and the distanced towed and the dimension of the opening of the manta net. Following visual sorting and classification, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was employed to identify polymer composition of the microplastic particles using a Bruker Vector 22 FT-IR spectrometer equipped with a deuterated triglycine sulphate (DTGS) detector, Zinc Selenide crystal and clamp. Fragments were analyzed from samples taken from each of the four (4) stations for analysis because of their high visibility to the naked eye and ease of transfer to and from the crystal. The crystal was cleaned with lint-free paper and methanol and a background scan performed before each particle was analyzed. Particles were analyzed in transmission mode at a speed of 5 Hz, within the range of 4000–600 cm−1 and a combination of 40 scans per analysis. The resulting spectra were processed in the accompanying Opus 65 software and were compared with the pristine FTIR spectra of common polymers (polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, nylon, polyvinyl chloride) obtained from the BIORAD SpectraBase spectral library.; Data Quality Method: Contamination control procedures were employed, with utmost care, to minimize the chance of plastic particles being introduced to the samples during sample collection, preparation and laboratory analysis. Glass jars (cleaned with dilute HNO3 and rinsed thoroughly with 18.2MΩ deionized water) were used to containerize samples collected for further processing in the laboratory. Glassware (beakers, watch glasses, funnels) and stainless-steel apparatus (sieves, forceps, spatulas) were used during sample processing and aluminum foil used to cover samples to minimize contamination from airborne fibers. A laboratory coat and nitrile gloves were always worn while work was carried out in an enclosed laboratory away from foot traffic. Microscopic examination was carried out in a laboratory designed with sealed windows and passage through the lab was restricted to minimize airborne contamination. Procedural blanks using deionized water were passed through the entire analytical process and treated in the same manner as were samples, to identify any possible points of contamination. These tested negatively for contamination..

Lineage information for: dataset

Processing Steps

Parameter or Variable: microplastic concentration (measured); Units: items/m3; Observation Category: in situ; Sampling Instrument: Manta net; Sampling and Analyzing Method: Sampling was conducted fortnightly (September 14, November 2, November 16, December 1 and December 15, 2017) at four stations. Stations included; a control (Ctrl.), located outside the Harbor adjacent to the town of Port Royal; stations within the harbor adjacent to Gallow's Point (GP); Refuge Cay (RC); Buccaneer beach (BB), the latter at the eastern end of the Harbor. Stations inside the harbor were selected near the southern shore along the Palisadoes tombolo, which is home to many species of juvenile fish and shellfish and is threatened by the accumulation of debris that constantly drifts south across the harbor from the gullies and rivers. All microplastics samples were collected in duplicate trawls at each station between 10 a.m. and 12 noon using a 335 μ mesh manta trawl (obtained from 5 Gyres Institute as part of the Trawl-Share program). The trawl had a 24″ × 9.84″ opening and was towed along a transect at each station for 15min at a speed of ~1 knot and ensuring that the net sampled outside of the wake of the boat. At the end of each trawl, the contents of the 335 μ cod end bag were transferred into clean (acid-washed with 10% HNO3 and rinsed thoroughly with deionized water (18.2MΩ)), labelled glass jars using 500mL of water from the respective station and the bag rinsed thoroughly with seawater. The bottles were placed in a cooler with ice packs for preservation and brought to the laboratory for analysis. Flow meters (General Oceanics L6) were placed across the mouth of the net to record the length of tow and hence the volume of sea water sampled. In addition, GPS Coordinates were recorded at the beginning and end of each tow using a handheld GPS (Garmin GPSMAP 62). Microplastics samples were prepared for analysis using modifications of the protocol outlined by Masura et al. (2015). Samples were wet sieved through 5 mm and 0.25 mm stacked sieves. Material retained on the 0.25 mm (250 μm) sieve was transferred to a beaker and placed in an oven at 90 °C for 24 h or more until completely dry. The organic material was oxidized with 20 mL aliquots of 0.05 M Fe(II) solution and 30% H2O2 on a hot plate at 75 °C for 30 min, with additional 20 mL aliquots of 30% H2O2 added every 30 min until oxidation was complete. A saturated NaCl solution (~5M) was used to facilitate the separation of the plastics from heavier non-polymeric materials by the addition of 6 g of NaCl per 20 mL of peroxide. The suspension was covered with foil and allowed to separate overnight in the density separator funnel. Floating plastics were then collected on a 0.25 mm (250 μm) sieve and rinsed free of the hypersaline solution with distilled water. The settled portion was also passed through the sieve and assessed for any additional microplastics. Collectively, the microplastic particles were dried and were placed in a vial prior to microscope separation, counting and classification. To avoid misidentification of microplastics using a microscope, a particle was established as microplastic based on visual criteria, ensuring that there are no visible cellular or organic structures, colored particles are homogenous in color, transparent particles are viewed under high magnification to exclude a biological origin and fibers should be equally thick with three-dimensional bending to exclude a biological origin. Prepared samples were illuminated with gooseneck lighting (Schott ACE 1) and viewed under a Meiji EMZ8TR stereomicroscope at a magnification of ×40. Microplastics were separated from any apparent undigested organic material. Samples were photographed at a magnification of ×7 with the aid of Lumenera Infinity Analyze software. Microplastics abundance in particles/km2 and particles/m3 was then computed from the tally and the distanced towed and the dimension of the opening of the manta net. Following visual sorting and classification, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was employed to identify polymer composition of the microplastic particles using a Bruker Vector 22 FT-IR spectrometer equipped with a deuterated triglycine sulphate (DTGS) detector, Zinc Selenide crystal and clamp. Fragments were analyzed from samples taken from each of the four (4) stations for analysis because of their high visibility to the naked eye and ease of transfer to and from the crystal. The crystal was cleaned with lint-free paper and methanol and a background scan performed before each particle was analyzed. Particles were analyzed in transmission mode at a speed of 5 Hz, within the range of 4000–600 cm−1 and a combination of 40 scans per analysis. The resulting spectra were processed in the accompanying Opus 65 software and were compared with the pristine FTIR spectra of common polymers (polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, nylon, polyvinyl chloride) obtained from the BIORAD SpectraBase spectral library.; Data Quality Method: Contamination control procedures were employed, with utmost care, to minimize the chance of plastic particles being introduced to the samples during sample collection, preparation and laboratory analysis. Glass jars (cleaned with dilute HNO3 and rinsed thoroughly with 18.2MΩ deionized water) were used to containerize samples collected for further processing in the laboratory. Glassware (beakers, watch glasses, funnels) and stainless-steel apparatus (sieves, forceps, spatulas) were used during sample processing and aluminum foil used to cover samples to minimize contamination from airborne fibers. A laboratory coat and nitrile gloves were always worn while work was carried out in an enclosed laboratory away from foot traffic. Microscopic examination was carried out in a laboratory designed with sealed windows and passage through the lab was restricted to minimize airborne contamination. Procedural blanks using deionized water were passed through the entire analytical process and treated in the same manner as were samples, to identify any possible points of contamination. These tested negatively for contamination..

Acquisition Information (collection)
Instrument	Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer Manta net microscope

Last Modified: 2023-11-21T15:05:46Z
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov

Microplastics concentrations in the surface waters of Kingston Harbor, Jamaica collected from 2017-09-14 to 2017-12-15 (NCEI Accession 0284765)

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