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Quantifying and source tracking microplastics in an estuarine environment

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TitleInfo
Title
Quantifying and source tracking microplastics in an estuarine environment
Name (type = personal)
NamePart (type = family)
Bailey
NamePart (type = given)
Kendi
NamePart (type = date)
1997
DisplayForm
Kendi Bailey
Role
RoleTerm (authority = RULIB); (type = text)
author
Name (type = personal)
NamePart (type = family)
Fahrenfeld
NamePart (type = given)
Nicole L
DisplayForm
Nicole L Fahrenfeld
Affiliation
Advisory Committee
Role
RoleTerm (authority = RULIB)
chair
Name (type = corporate)
NamePart
Rutgers University
Role
RoleTerm (authority = RULIB)
degree grantor
Name (type = corporate)
NamePart
School of Graduate Studies
Role
RoleTerm (authority = RULIB)
school
TypeOfResource
Text
Genre (authority = marcgt)
theses
Genre (authority = ExL-Esploro)
External ETD graduate
OriginInfo
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2020
DateOther (type = degree); (qualifier = exact); (encoding = w3cdtf)
2020-10
Language
LanguageTerm (authority = ISO 639-3:2007); (type = text)
English
Abstract
The prevalence of microplastics in marine environments is well documented, but little is known of the accumulation patterns in estuarine environments and its land-based sources (i.e., wastewater effluents, and stormwater runoff). To investigate the behaviors of microplastics in estuarine environments, the samples were collected in the mouth of the Raritan River, NJ, along the river plume and the Hudson Raritan Bay targeting frontal zones, and into the ocean. Samples were collected during summer low flow and spring low and high flow conditions. To investigate the potential sources, samples were collected from various hydraulically connected stormwater outfalls and the influent and effluent of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The focus of this study was on microplastics in the 500-2000 μm size range. The highest concentration of surface water was in the mouth of the Raritan during summer low flow. The concentrations of microplastics ranged from 0-2.75 MP/m3 in the Raritan, 400-600 MP/m3 in stormwater, and was frequently 0 MP/m3 in wastewater effluent, suggesting stormwater may serve as an understudied source. Polymers were characterized by attenuated total reflectance FTIR and polyethylene was the most prevalent type. Polymer types and concentrations were compared between the different waters and similarities between surface water, wastewater influent, and stormwater were found. Additionally, a linear correlation was found between the total concentration of particles in a sample following oxidation and density separation and its microplastic concentration for wastewater influent, surface water, and stormwater. If this correlation is also observed in other locations, it may serve as a method for rapid estimation of total microplastic by techniques that count total particles. These results have implications for understanding the behavior of microplastic in varying flow conditions and in frontal zones as well as reveal potentially important sources of microplastics in the estuarine environment.
Subject (authority = local)
Topic
Microplastic
Subject (authority = RUETD)
Topic
Civil and Environmental Engineering
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = RULIB)
ETD
Identifier
ETD_11165
PhysicalDescription
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application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
1 online resource (vi, 29 pages)
Note (type = degree)
M.S.
Note (type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
School of Graduate Studies Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = local)
rucore10001600001
Location
PhysicalLocation (authority = marcorg); (displayLabel = Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
NjNbRU
Identifier (type = doi)
doi:10.7282/t3-eeeg-j440
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Rights

RightsDeclaration (ID = rulibRdec0006)
The author owns the copyright to this work.
RightsHolder (type = personal)
Name
FamilyName
Bailey
GivenName
Kendi
Role
Copyright Holder
RightsEvent
Type
Permission or license
DateTime (encoding = w3cdtf); (qualifier = exact); (point = start)
2020-09-20 21:51:38
AssociatedEntity
Name
Kendi Bailey
Role
Copyright holder
Affiliation
Rutgers University. School of Graduate Studies
AssociatedObject
Type
License
Name
Author Agreement License
Detail
I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.
RightsEvent
Type
Embargo
DateTime (encoding = w3cdtf); (qualifier = exact); (point = start)
2020-10-31
DateTime (encoding = w3cdtf); (qualifier = exact); (point = end)
2022-10-31
Detail
Access to this PDF has been restricted at the author's request. It will be publicly available after October 31st, 2022.
Copyright
Status
Copyright protected
Availability
Status
Open
Reason
Permission or license
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Technical

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ETD
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windows xp
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DateCreated (point = end); (encoding = w3cdtf); (qualifier = exact)
2020-09-25T21:13:50
DateCreated (point = end); (encoding = w3cdtf); (qualifier = exact)
2020-09-25T21:13:50
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