MSGID: 1:317/3 6489426f   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Hotter sand from microplastics could affect sea turtle development   
      
      
     Date:   
         June 13, 2023   
     Source:   
         Florida State University   
     Summary:   
         New research has found that extreme concentrations of microplastics   
         could increase the temperature of beach sand enough to threaten   
         the development of incubating sea turtles.   
      
      
         Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   New research from Florida State University published in Frontiers in   
   Marine Science found that extreme concentrations of microplastics could   
   increase the temperature of beach sand enough to threaten the development   
   of incubating sea turtles.   
      
   Sea turtles play a vital role in the marine ecosystem, and for these   
   oceangoing reptiles to thrive, they need healthy beaches where their   
   eggs can incubate successfully.   
      
   "Sea turtle sex, fitness and hatchling success is influenced by   
   temperature," said lead author Mariana Fuentes, an associate professor   
   in FSU's Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science. "Not   
   much is known on how the presence of microplastic affects the thermal   
   profile of sand. Understanding how changes to the environment could   
   affect the temperature of nesting grounds is important for monitoring   
   the future of these keystone species."  Researchers mixed sand from   
   beaches at the FSU Coastal and Marine Laboratory with black and white   
   microplastic. Concentrations of microplastic ranged from 5% to 30% of   
   the total volume of the sediment sample. Then they recorded temperatures   
   from July through September 2018 by burying digital thermometers at the   
   same depth at which loggerhead sea turtles typically lay their eggs.   
      
   They found that samples with higher microplastic concentrations had   
   greater increases in temperature, with the sample containing 30%   
   black microplastic pieces having the highest mean difference in   
   temperature. Those samples were 0.58 degrees Celsius warmer than the   
   control group, an increase that could potentially significantly alter   
   sea turtle hatchling sex ratios, physiological performance, and mortality   
   of embryos.   
      
   The good news from the study is that the 30% concentration of   
   microplastics in those samples equates to about 9.8 million pieces   
   per cubic meter, a higher concentration than has been currently found   
   on beaches worldwide. Current research has found the highest reported   
   concentrations collected from beaches is about 1.8 million pieces per   
   cubic meter.   
      
   But the amount of microplastics at nesting sites has only recently been   
   explored. It could be higher in locations that haven't been studied yet,   
   and demand for plastic is forecast to increase in the future.   
      
   At nesting grounds where incubating eggs are near a 29-degree Celsius   
   boundary -- below which most hatchlings are male, and above which most   
   hatchlings are female -- smaller concentrations of plastic could be   
   enough to push the temperature beyond a crucial threshold.   
      
   "Sea turtle eggs are sensitive to temperature, and microplastics are   
   another factor adding to the heat they face," Fuentes said. "This study   
   gives us a baseline for future research on how they are affecting the   
   nesting environment."  The research was supported by FSU's Garnet and   
   Gold Scholar Society.   
      
   Researchers with the University of Florida and the University of North   
   Carolina Wilmington were co-authors on this study.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Plants_&_Animals   
                   # Marine_Biology # Sea_Life # Fish # Frogs_and_Reptiles   
             o Earth_&_Climate   
                   # Oceanography # Environmental_Awareness # Weather #   
                   Climate   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Sea_turtle o Dune o Beach o Global_warming o Turtle o   
             Snapping_turtle o Quicksand o Ice_core   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by Florida_State_University. Original   
   written by Bill Wellock. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Mariana M. P. B. Fuentes, Valencia Beckwidth, Matthew Ware. The   
      effects   
         of microplastic on the thermal profile of sand: implications for   
         marine turtle nesting grounds. Frontiers in Marine Science, 2023;   
         10 DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2023.1146556   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230613190835.htm   
      
   --- up 1 year, 15 weeks, 1 day, 10 hours, 50 minutes   
    * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)   
   SEEN-BY: 15/0 106/201 114/705 123/120 153/7715 218/700 226/30 227/114   
   SEEN-BY: 229/110 112 113 307 317 400 426 428 470 664 700 291/111 292/854   
   SEEN-BY: 298/25 305/3 317/3 320/219 396/45   
   PATH: 317/3 229/426