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Belli IM, Cavali M, Garbossa LHP, Franco D, Bayard R, de Castilhos Junior AB. A review of plastic debris in the South American Atlantic Ocean coast - Distribution, characteristics, policies and legal aspects. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 938:173197. [PMID: 38772490 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
The presence of plastics in the oceans has already become a pervasive phenomenon. Marine pollution by plastics surpasses the status of an emerging threat to become a well-established environmental problem, boosting research on this topic. However, despite many studies on the main seas and oceans, it is necessary to compile information on the South American Atlantic Ocean Coast to identify the lack of research and expand knowledge on marine plastic pollution in this region. Accordingly, this paper conducted an in-depth review of monitoring methods, sampling, and identification of macroplastics and microplastics (MPs) in water, sediments, and biota, including information on legal requirements from different countries as well as non-governmental initiatives. Brazil was the country with the highest number of published papers, followed by Argentina. MPs accounted for 75 % of the papers selected, with blue microfibers being the most common morphology, whereas PE and PP were the most abundant polymers. Also, a lack of standardization in the methodologies used was identified; however, the sites with the highest concentrations of MPs were the Bahía Blanca Estuary (Argentina), Guanabara Bay (Brazil), and Todos os Santos Bay (Brazil), regardless of the method applied. Regarding legislation, Uruguay and Argentina have the most advanced policies in the region against marine plastic pollution due to their emphasis on the life cycle and the national ban on certain single-use plastics. Therefore, considering its content, this expert review can be useful to assist researchers dealing with plastic pollution along the South American Atlantic Ocean Coast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Marcon Belli
- Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, 88040-900 Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
| | - Matheus Cavali
- Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, 88040-900 Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | | | - Davide Franco
- Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, 88040-900 Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Rémy Bayard
- INSA Lyon, DEEP, UR7429, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Armando Borges de Castilhos Junior
- Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, 88040-900 Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
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Yuan F, Zou X, Liao Q, Wang T, Zhang H, Xue Y, Chen H, Ding Y, Lu M, Song Y, Fu G. Insight into the bacterial community composition of the plastisphere in diverse environments of a coastal salt marsh. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 357:124465. [PMID: 38942280 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
The microbial community colonized on microplastics (MPs), known as the 'plastisphere', has attracted extensive concern owing to its environmental implications. Coastal salt marshes, which are crucial ecological assets, are considered sinks for MPs. Despite their strong spatial heterogeneity, there is limited information on plastisphere across diverse environments in coastal salt marshes. Herein, a 1-year field experiment was conducted at three sites in the Yancheng salt marsh in China. This included two sites in the intertidal zone, bare flat (BF) and Spartina alterniflora vegetation area (SA), and one site in the supratidal zone, Phragmites australis vegetation area (PA). Petroleum-based MPs (polyethylene and expanded polystyrene) and bio-based MPs (polylactic acid and polybutylene succinate) were employed. The results revealed significant differences in bacterial community composition between the plastisphere and sediment at all three sites examined, and the species enriched in the plastisphere exhibited location-specific characteristics. Overall, the largest difference was observed at the SA site, whereas the smallest difference was observed at the BF site. Furthermore, the MP polymer types influenced the composition of the bacterial communities in the plastisphere, also exhibiting location-specific characteristics, with the most pronounced impact observed at the PA site and the least at the BF site. The polybutylene succinate plastisphere bacterial communities at the SA and PA sites were quite different from the plastispheres from the other three MP polymer types. Co-occurrence network analyses suggested that the bacterial community network in the BF plastisphere exhibited the highest complexity, whereas the network in the SA plastisphere showed relatively sparse interactions. Null model analyses underscored the predominant role of deterministic processes in shaping the assembly of plastisphere bacterial communities across all three sites, with a more pronounced influence observed in the intertidal zone than in the supratidal zone. This study enriches our understanding of the plastisphere in coastal salt marshes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Yuan
- School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Coast and Island Development, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Xinqing Zou
- School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Coast and Island Development, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of South China Sea Studies, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Qihang Liao
- School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Coast and Island Development, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of South China Sea Studies, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Teng Wang
- College of Oceanography, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China.
| | - Hexi Zhang
- School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Coast and Island Development, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yue Xue
- School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Coast and Island Development, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Hongyu Chen
- School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Coast and Island Development, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of South China Sea Studies, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yongcheng Ding
- School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Coast and Island Development, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Ming Lu
- School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Coast and Island Development, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yuyang Song
- School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Coast and Island Development, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Guanghe Fu
- School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Coast and Island Development, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of South China Sea Studies, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
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McIlwraith HK, Lindeque PK, Miliou A, Tolhurst TJ, Cole M. Microplastic shape influences fate in vegetated wetlands. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 345:123492. [PMID: 38311156 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Coastal areas are prone to plastic accumulation due to their proximity to land based sources. Coastal vegetated habitats (e.g., seagrasses, saltmarshes, mangroves) provide a myriad of ecosystem functions, such as erosion protection, habitat refuge, and carbon storage. The biological and physical factors that underlie these functions may provide an additional benefit: trapping of marine microplastics. While microplastics occurrence in coastal vegetated sediments is well documented, there is conflicting evidence on whether the presence of vegetation enhances microplastics trapping relative to bare sites and the factors that influence microplastic trapping remain understudied. We investigated how vegetation structure and microplastic type influences trapping in a simulated coastal wetland. Through a flume experiment, we measured the efficiency of microplastic trapping in the presence of branched and grassy vegetation and tested an array of microplastics that differ in shape, size, and polymer. We observed that the presence of vegetation did not affect the number of microplastics trapped but did affect location of deposition. Microplastic shape, rather than polymer, was the dominant factor in determining whether microplastics were retained in the sediment or adhered to the vegetation canopy. Across the canopy, microfibre concentrations decreased from the leading edge to the interior which suggests that even on a small-scale, vegetation has a filtering effect. The outcome of this study enriches our understanding of coastal vegetation as a microplastics sink and that differences among microplastics informs where they are most likely to accumulate within a biogenic canopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayley K McIlwraith
- Marine Ecology & Biodiversity, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, Plymouth, PL1 3DH, UK; University of East Anglia, School of Environmental Sciences, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Penelope K Lindeque
- Marine Ecology & Biodiversity, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, Plymouth, PL1 3DH, UK
| | - Anastasia Miliou
- Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, Pythagorio, Samos, 83103, Greece
| | - Trevor J Tolhurst
- University of East Anglia, School of Environmental Sciences, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Matthew Cole
- Marine Ecology & Biodiversity, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, Plymouth, PL1 3DH, UK.
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Girones L, Adaro ME, Pozo K, Baini M, Panti C, Fossi MC, Marcovecchio JE, Ronda AC, Arias AH. Spatial distribution and characteristics of plastic pollution in the salt marshes of Bahía Blanca Estuary, Argentina. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169199. [PMID: 38070560 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
This study delves into the magnitude and attributes of plastic pollution in the salt marshes of the Bahía Blanca Estuary, Argentina, with a specific focus on its spatial distribution. The investigation included the evaluation of microplastics (1-5 mm), mesoplastics (5-25 mm) and macroplastics (25-100 mm), discovering elevated levels along the high salt marsh strandline compared to low salt marsh and mudflat areas. Notably, the abundance of plastic reached staggering levels, reaching up to 20,060 items/m2 in the vicinity of an illegal dumpsite. Microplastics, particularly in the 2-4 mm range, were dominant, and the main plastic components were high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS). Plastic films emerged as the predominant plastic type, while the presence of pellets hinted at potential sources such as illegal dumping and port-related activities. This contamination could be largely attributed to inappropriate waste management practices and urban runoff, which pose a substantial ecological threat to these ecosystems. Urgent remedial action is essential to protect these marshes, underscoring the critical need for comprehensive wetland management and educational initiatives to ensure their long-term sustainability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lautaro Girones
- Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (IADO - CONICET/UNS), Camino La Carrindanga km 7.5, B8000FWB Bahía Blanca, Argentina; Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Av. Alem 1253, 8000 Bahía Blanca, Argentina.
| | - Maria Eugenia Adaro
- Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (IADO - CONICET/UNS), Camino La Carrindanga km 7.5, B8000FWB Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - Karla Pozo
- Masaryk University, Faculty of Science (RECETOX), Kamenice 753/5, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic; Universidad San Sebastián, Facultad de Ingeniería, Arquitectura y Diseño, Lientur 1457, 4030000 Concepción, Chile.
| | - Matteo Baini
- Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, University of Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli, 4, 53100 Siena, Italy.
| | - Cristina Panti
- Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, University of Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli, 4, 53100 Siena, Italy.
| | - Maria Cristina Fossi
- Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, University of Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli, 4, 53100 Siena, Italy.
| | - Jorge Eduardo Marcovecchio
- Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (IADO - CONICET/UNS), Camino La Carrindanga km 7.5, B8000FWB Bahía Blanca, Argentina; Universidad de la Fraternidad de Agrupaciones Santo Tomás de Aquino, Gascón 3145, 7600 Mar del Plata, Argentina; Universidad Tecnológica Nacional - FRBB, 11 de Abril 445, 8000 Bahía Blanca, Argentina; Academia Nacional de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales (ANCEFN), Av. Alvear 1711, 1014 Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Ana Carolina Ronda
- Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (IADO - CONICET/UNS), Camino La Carrindanga km 7.5, B8000FWB Bahía Blanca, Argentina; Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Av. Alem 1253, 8000 Bahía Blanca, Argentina.
| | - Andres Hugo Arias
- Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (IADO - CONICET/UNS), Camino La Carrindanga km 7.5, B8000FWB Bahía Blanca, Argentina; Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Av. Alem 1253, 8000 Bahía Blanca, Argentina.
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do Amparo SZS, Carvalho LDO, Silva GG, Viana MM. Microplastics as contaminants in the Brazilian environment: an updated review. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 195:1414. [PMID: 37925384 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-12011-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics have long been present in marine and terrestrial environments and have emerged in recent decades as a global environmental concern. This pollutant has been detected with increasing frequency in Brazilian territory and herein primarily highlights current information and developments about the quantity, distribution, techniques of identification, origins, and sources of microplastics and related pollutants in the Brazilian environment. We evaluated 79 publications from 2018 to December 2022, and some aspects can be highlighted: 27% of studies were published in the Journal Marine Pollution Bulletin; 22% of all studies were conducted in São Paulo city; and 52% of all microplastics found were collected from biota followed by sediment samples. According to the findings given here, microplastics in Brazilian habitats, which can reach concentrations of 4367 to 25,794 items m-2 in sediments, are becoming a serious problem in the Anthropocene age, and some topics regarding the open questions in this area were pointed out in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sthéfany Z S do Amparo
- Departamento de Química-ICEx, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, ZIP 30.270-901, Brazil.
- Centro de Tecnologia em Nanomateriais e Grafeno - CTNano, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, ZIP 31.310-260, Brazil.
| | - Luciana de O Carvalho
- Departamento de Química-ICEx, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, ZIP 30.270-901, Brazil
- Centro de Tecnologia em Nanomateriais e Grafeno - CTNano, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, ZIP 31.310-260, Brazil
| | - Glaura G Silva
- Departamento de Química-ICEx, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, ZIP 30.270-901, Brazil
- Centro de Tecnologia em Nanomateriais e Grafeno - CTNano, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, ZIP 31.310-260, Brazil
| | - Marcelo M Viana
- Departamento de Química-ICEx, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, ZIP 30.270-901, Brazil.
- Centro de Tecnologia em Nanomateriais e Grafeno - CTNano, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, ZIP 31.310-260, Brazil.
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Jessieleena AA, Nambi IM. Distribution of microplastics in the catchment region of Pallikaranai marshland, a Ramsar site in Chennai, India. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 318:120890. [PMID: 36529343 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics are persistent toxic pollutants, detected in different environmental compartments. Numerous studies on the characteristics and distribution of microplastics present in different environmental matrices are being carried out. However, limited studies have been performed in environmental systems like eco-sensitive freshwater marshlands. Therefore, to enrich the existing knowledge and understanding, this current study has analysed the distribution and characteristics of microplastics present in the catchment region of Pallikaranai marshland, Chennai, India. Both surface water and sediment samples were contaminated with microplastics in the range of 740-2826 items/m3and 700 to 5833 items/kg of dry sediment, respectively. Compared to other shapes, fibrous microplastics were predominant in most of the surface water (n = 11) and sediment (n = 8) samples. The abundant presence of smaller microplastics (<1 mm) in the surface water suggests elevated impacts on the aquatic species owing to their higher bioavailability. Elevated anthropogenic activities and frequent movement of people in urban and residential areas were noted to possibly influence the spatial distribution of microplastics. Furthermore, heavy metals' occurrence on microplastics was investigated using X-Ray Fluorescence Analyser (XRF) and Zn, Fe, Ti, and Ni are the commonly detected (>50% of the samples) elements. The estimated average pollution load index of 2.5 indicates the polluted state of Pallikaranai catchment region.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Angel Jessieleena
- Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Division, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600 036, India.
| | - Indumathi M Nambi
- Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Division, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600 036, India.
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Alves FL, Pinheiro LM, Bueno C, Agostini VO, Perez L, Fernandes EHL, Weschenfelder J, Leonhardt A, Domingues M, Pinho GLL, García-Rodríguez F. The use of microplastics as a reliable chronological marker of the Anthropocene onset in Southeastern South America. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 857:159633. [PMID: 36280064 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) represent an emergent contamination marker. For this reason, we analyzed the vertical distribution of MPs in six sediment cores retrieved from the Patos-Mirim System, the world's largest coastal lagoonal system. The sediment cores span from mid Holocene to present times according to both radiocarbon and lead dating and are located close to both urban/industrial and agricultural regions. We identified a basal pre-disturbance MP-free zone in all cores and an uppermost contaminated 70-cm-zone, where a general increasing trend in MPs content resembling the human anthropization process was recorded. The predominant format of MPs was fiber, followed by fragments. The most commonly identified polymers were rayon, PVC, acrylate, polycarbonate and cellophane. Urban/industrial and agricultural activities were shown as clear sources of MPs, leading to comparable MPs concentration values in the sediment cores. Thus, MPs are collectively a reliable indicator of the Anthropocene onset, and in the Patos-Mirim System the most appropriate chronology can be assigned to the beginning of 1970s, matching the intensification of anthropogenic activities in the area.
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Affiliation(s)
- F L Alves
- Instituto de Oceanografia - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil
| | - L M Pinheiro
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, EX4 4QD, United Kingdom
| | - C Bueno
- Centro Universitario Regional del Este (CURE), Universidad de la República, Rocha, Uruguay
| | - V O Agostini
- Regenera Moléculas do Mar, Prédio 43421, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500 - 117 - Agronomia, Porto Alegre, RS 91501-970, Brazil
| | - L Perez
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, EX4 4QD, United Kingdom
| | - E H L Fernandes
- Instituto de Oceanografia - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil
| | - J Weschenfelder
- Centro de Estudos de Geologia Costeira e Oceânica, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - A Leonhardt
- Instituto de Oceanografia - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil
| | - M Domingues
- Instituto de Ciências Humanas e da Informação (ICHI), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil
| | - G L L Pinho
- Instituto de Oceanografia - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil
| | - F García-Rodríguez
- Instituto de Oceanografia - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil; College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, EX4 4QD, United Kingdom.
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