Predicting microplastic dynamics in coral reefs: presence, distribution, and bioavailability through field data and numerical simulation analysis
Santana, Marina F.M., Tonin, Hemerson, Vamvounis, George, van Herwerden, Lynne, Motti, Cherie A., and Kroon, Frederieke J. (2025) Predicting microplastic dynamics in coral reefs: presence, distribution, and bioavailability through field data and numerical simulation analysis. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 32 (15). pp. 9655-9675.
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Abstract
Understanding distribution and bioavailability of microplastics is vital for conducting ecological risk assessments (ERA) and developing mitigation strategies in marine environments. This study couples in situ data from Lizard Island (Great Barrier Reef) and numerical modelling and simulations to determine microplastic abundances in abiotic (water and sediment) and biotic (planktivorous fish, sea squirts, sponges, corals, and sea cucumbers) compartments and predict their trajectories within this ecosystem. Results show microplastics predominantly (75%) originate from beached plastics from nearby islands and coastal areas, dispersing northward without local entrapment and settlement likely occurring on northern beaches (> 50%), including Papua New Guinea. Concentrations increased by three orders of magnitude with depth, with distinct profiles: surface waters contained more fragments and low-density polymers at concentrations of < 1 microplastics m<sup>−3</sup>, and deeper layers more fibres and high-density polymers, with concentrations peaking at the seafloor at > 100 microplastics m<sup>−3</sup>. Reflecting ecological and physiological traits of each taxon, fish exhibited microplastic contamination levels nearly twice that observed in invertebrates, and while polymers and colours had no stronger evidences on influencing bioavailability, shape and size did, with fish more susceptible to contamination by microplastic fibres and all taxa to smaller-sized microplastic particles.
| Item ID: | 88234 |
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| Item Type: | Article (Research - C1) |
| ISSN: | 1614-7499 |
| Keywords: | Abundance, Consumption, Marine debris, Marine organisms, Numerical model |
| Copyright Information: | © Crown 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
| Date Deposited: | 02 Apr 2026 03:03 |
| FoR Codes: | 41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4104 Environmental management > 410402 Environmental assessment and monitoring @ 100% |
| SEO Codes: | 18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1805 Marine systems and management > 180502 Assessment and management of pelagic marine ecosystems @ 100% |
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