Measurements of the inherent optical properties of aqueous suspensions of microplastics

Libraries of inherent optical properties (IOPs) of microplastics are sparse, yet they are essential for the development of optical techniques to detect and quantify microplastics in the ocean. In this study, we describe our results and technique for the measurement of the IOPs of microplastic suspen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Limnology and oceanography letters Vol. 9; no. 4; pp. 487 - 497
Main Authors:	Koestner, Daniel, Foster, Robert, El‐Habashi, Ahmed, Cheatham, Shea
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-08-2024 Wiley
Subjects:	Absorption Data processing Light Light scattering Microplastics Optical properties Plastic pollution Polyesters Polyvinyl chloride Radiative transfer Seawater Simulation
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	Libraries of inherent optical properties (IOPs) of microplastics are sparse, yet they are essential for the development of optical techniques to detect and quantify microplastics in the ocean. In this study, we describe our results and technique for the measurement of the IOPs of microplastic suspensions generated from commonly utilized plastics. The measurements included angle‐resolved polarized light scattering, and spectral absorption and beam attenuation coefficients. We also performed ancillary characterization of particle properties, including size distribution, shape, and mass concentration of suspended matter. We observed several unique optical characteristics regarding absorption, scattering, and polarization properties compared with typical marine particle assemblages. We show that these results are useful for radiative transfer simulations as well as the potential development of novel plastic detection techniques from above‐ or in‐water optical measurements.
Bibliography:	Author Contribution Statement https://doi.org/10.17882/98404 DK led the manuscript effort and prepared the first draft. All authors contributed to, edited, and approved the final manuscript. RF came up with original research questions and acquired initial funding, while DK, RF, and AE designed and implemented the experimental approach. DK prepared figures and managed all scattering, particulate absorption and suspended mass concentration data, RF managed holographic and microscope images, and AE managed hyperspectral absorption and beam attenuation data. SC prepared all radiative transfer simulations with input from DK. Data Availability Statement Data are available in SEANOE .
ISSN:	2378-2242 2378-2242
DOI:	10.1002/lol2.10387