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Dataset
Data From: Microplastic Concentrations in Two Oregon Bivalve Species: Spatial, Temporal, and Species Variability
Environmental Science and Management Datasets
  • Britta Baechler, Portland State University
  • Elise F. Granek, Portland State University
  • Matthew V. Hunter, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
  • Kathleen E. Conn, United States Geological Survey
Document Type
Dataset
Publication Date
7-1-2019
Subjects
  • Microplastics -- Environmental aspects,
  • Microplastics -- Measurement,
  • Microplastics -- Oregon -- Analysis
Abstract

Microplastics are an ecological stressor with implications for ecosystem and human health when present in seafood. We quantified microplastic types, concentrations, anatomical burdens, geographic distribution, and temporal differences in Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and Pacific razor clams (Siliqua patula) from 15 Oregon coast, U.S.A. sites. Organisms were chemically digested and visually analyzed for microplastics, and material type was determined using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. Microplastics were present in organisms from all sites. On average, whole oysters and razor clams contained 10.95 ± 0.77 and 8.84 ± 0.45 microplastic pieces per individual, or 0.35 ± 0.04 and 0.16 ± 0.02 pieces g-1 tissue, respectively. Contamination was quantified but not subtracted. Over 99% of microplastics were fibers. Spring samples contained more microplastics than summer in oysters but not razor clams. This study provides a spatially extensive baseline of microplastics in Oregon bivalves and is the first to determine Pacific razor clam concentrations.

Description

The metadata template is available for download.

The data supports a manuscript published in Baechler, Granek, E. F., Hunter, V. M., & Conn, K. E. (2019). Microplastic Concentrations in Two Oregon Bivalve Species: Spatial, Temporal, and Species Variability. Limnology and Oceanography Letters. The article is available in PDXScholar and can be found here: https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/30382

Data Description:
The dataset is the biological and microplastics data for Oregon Pacific razor clams and Pacific oysters.

Video & Photos
Video on Microplastics in Razor Clams and Oysters is available here: https://youtu.be/WpmZbkWGayA

Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/oregonseagrant/sets/72157685405628133/

Rights

This work is marked with CC0 1.0 Universal

DOI
10.15760/esm-data.1
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/29142
Citation Information
Baechler, Britta; Granek, Elise F.; Hunter, Matthew V.; and Conn, Kathleen E., "Microplastic Concentrations in Two Oregon Bivalve Species: Spatial, Temporal, and Species Variability" (2019). [Dataset]. https://doi.org/10.15760/esm-data.1