Two CSV files report results from a 2019 study of microplastics in the Port of Durban. The first file contains water measurements from CTD casts, microplastic abundance in water and sediment, and particulate size analysis results, with GPS coordinates and deployment times. The second file contains ATR-FT-IR spectrum analysis profiles of plastic pieces found in water samples.
Use Cases
- Correlating microplastic abundance with water quality parameters like temperature and salinity based on CTD cast data.
- Analyzing the distribution of microplastic particle sizes based on particulate size analysis (PSA) results from sediment grabs.
- Identifying polymer types of microplastics based on ATR-FT-IR spectrum analysis profiles.
- Mapping pollution hotspots using the reported GPS coordinates for each sampling location.
Strengths
- Includes multiple measurement types: CTD water data, microplastic pump results, sediment analysis, and FTIR spectroscopy.
- Provides GPS coordinates and time of deployment for spatial and temporal context.
- Contains lab and atmospheric blank values for quality control of microplastic counts.
Limitations
- Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
Provenance
- Source
- Marine Environmental Data & Information Network
- Collection Method
- Field sampling via CTD casts, microplastic pumps, and Van Veen grab samples, with subsequent lab analysis.
- Time Range
- 2019
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-06-11 08:11:46.250936; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Port of Durban, South Africa