According to brand-new research from Florida State University that was recently published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, extremely high concentrations of microplastics have the potential to raise the temperature of beach sand to levels that pose a threat to the growth of sea turtle eggs.
Ocean turtles assume a crucial role in the marine biological system, and for these oceangoing reptiles to flourish, they need sound seashores where their eggs can brood effectively.
“Ocean turtle sex, wellness, and hatchling achievement are affected by temperature,” said lead creator Mariana Fuentes, an academic partner in FSU’s Branch of Earth, Sea, and Barometrical Science.
“How the presence of microplastic affects the thermal profile of sand is poorly understood.” For monitoring the future of these keystone species, it is important to know how changes in the environment could affect the temperature of nesting grounds.”
“Sea turtle eggs are temperature sensitive, and microplastics add to the heat they face. This work provides a foundation for further research on how they alter the nesting habitat.”
Lead author Mariana Fuentes, an associate professor in FSU’s Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science.
Black and white microplastics were mixed with sand from FSU Coastal and Marine Laboratory beaches. The sediment sample contained microplastics in concentrations ranging from 5% to 30% of the volume. Then, they buried digital thermometers at the same depth at which loggerhead sea turtles typically lay their eggs and recorded temperatures from July to September of 2018.
They discovered that samples with higher concentrations of microplastic experienced greater temperature increases, with the sample containing 30 percent black microplastic pieces experiencing the greatest mean temperature difference. Sea turtle hatchling sex ratios, physiological performance, and embryo mortality could all be significantly altered if those samples were 0.58 degrees Celsius warmer than the control group.
The uplifting news from the review is that the 30% convergence of microplastics in those examples compares to around 9.8 million pieces for every cubic meter, a higher focus than has been presently found on seashores around the world. Flow research has found the most elevated concentrations gathered from seashores are around 1.8 million pieces per cubic meter.
Be that as it may, how much microplastics settle in locales has as of late been investigated. It very well may be higher in areas that haven’t been concentrated at this point, and interest in plastic is expected to increase later on.
At settling grounds where brooding eggs are close to a 29-degree Celsius limit —under which most hatchlings are male, or more, under which most hatchlings are female — more modest convergences of plastic could be sufficient to push the temperature past a critical edge.
Fuentes stated, “Microplastics are another factor adding to the heat they face, and sea turtle eggs are sensitive to temperature.” This study provides a foundation for subsequent research into their effects on the nesting environment.”
More information: Mariana M. P. B. Fuentes et al, The effects of microplastic on the thermal profile of sand: implications for marine turtle nesting grounds, Frontiers in Marine Science (2023). DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2023.1146556
