UC San Diego UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Abundance and ecological implications of microplastic debris in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6xf4w8b6 Author Goldstein, Miriam Chanita Publication Date 2012 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Abundance and ecological implications of microplastic debris in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography by Miriam Chanita Goldstein Committee in charge: Professor Mark D. Ohman, Chair Professor Lihini I. Aluwihare Professor Brian Goldfarb Professor Michael R. Landry Professor James J. Leichter 2012 Copyright Miriam Chanita Goldstein, 2012 All rights reserved. SIGNATURE PAGE The Dissertation of Miriam Chanita Goldstein is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: PAGE _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Chair University of California, San Diego 2012 iii DEDICATION For my mother, who took me to the tidepools and didn’t mind my pet earthworms. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS SIGNATURE PAGE ................................................................................................... iii DEDICATION ............................................................................................................. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................. v LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................... x LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... xiii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... xiv VITA ............................................................................................................................ xx ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION ................................................................ xxi CHAPTER 1: Introduction ......................................................................................... 1 A Brief History of Plastic ........................................................................................... 1 Plastic types ................................................................................................................ 3 Plastic Appears in the Ocean ...................................................................................... 4 Ecological consequences of large plastic debris ........................................................ 9 Microplastic marine debris: knowns and unknowns ................................................ 11 Plastic-associated fouling communities ................................................................... 16 The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre ......................................................................... 19 The “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” .......................................................................... 23 v Research questions: potential impacts of microplastic on NPSG neuston ............... 24 Descriptions of chapters ........................................................................................... 24 References ................................................................................................................ 31 CHAPTER 2: Scales of spatial heterogeneity of plastic marine debris in the northeast Pacific Ocean ............................................................................................. 45 Abstract ..................................................................................................................... 45 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 46 Materials and Methods ............................................................................................. 49 Net samples ........................................................................................................... 49 Visual observations .............................................................................................. 51 Submesoscale sampling schemata ........................................................................ 51 Oceanographic context ......................................................................................... 52 Variograms ........................................................................................................... 54 Analysis ................................................................................................................. 55 Results ...................................................................................................................... 56 Interannual abundance and distribution of neustonic plastic .............................. 56 Spatial scales of plastic variation ......................................................................... 58 Abundance and distribution of plastic in summer 2009 ....................................... 58 Discussion ................................................................................................................. 61 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................... 68 References ................................................................................................................ 86 CHAPTER 3: Composition and weathering of oceanic microplastic .................... 95 vi Abstract ..................................................................................................................... 95 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 96 Methods .................................................................................................................... 98 Oceanic particles .................................................................................................. 98 Weathering experiment ......................................................................................... 99 Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and weathering indices .................. 101 Results .................................................................................................................... 102 Oceanic plastic type ........................................................................................... 102 Weathering experiment ....................................................................................... 103 Discussion ............................................................................................................... 104 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................ 111 References .............................................................................................................. 118 Appendix ................................................................................................................ 125 CHAPTER 4: Ingestion of microplastic by neustonic marine invertebrates ...... 135 Abstract ................................................................................................................... 135 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 135 Methods .................................................................................................................. 137 Zooplankton incubation experiments ................................................................. 137 Ingestion by barnacles ........................................................................................ 138 Results .................................................................................................................... 139 Zooplankton incubation experiments ................................................................. 139 Ingestion by barnacles ........................................................................................ 140 Discussion ............................................................................................................... 141 vii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................ 145 References .............................................................................................................. 149 CHAPTER 5: Increased oceanic microplastic debris enhances oviposition in an endemic pelagic insect .............................................................................................. 155 CHAPTER 6: Relationship of diversity and habitat area in North Pacific plastic- associated rafting communities ............................................................................... 167 Abstract ................................................................................................................... 167 Introduction 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