Sediments were collected at the following locations around the south and western coasts of Vancouver Island.
Follow the instructions in the lab manual. You'll be using the images provided below to simulate performing the experiment yourself. Read measurements off of the apparatus shown and record it in the appropriate tables in your lab manual.
Clicking on an image below will open a higher resolution version.
You'll be using the apparatus shown below to weigh out a sediment sample, make a slurry using saturated salt solution, filtering a portion of the slurry, and filtering that sample. Finally, you'll examine the filter paper and what residue it has trapped for micro-plastics.
The sediment samples were weighed as shown below.
All three sediment samples are ready.
Here's what they look like.
You've measured a volume of saturated salt solution, and used it to prepare a slurry of salt water and the sediment sample
Prepare the sample slurry by adding the salt solution to the sediment in the beaker. You've prepared three slurries of sediment and saturated salt solution.
Prepare the filter cartridge, and attach it to the syringe.
Place a filter paper on the cartridge base and screw the cartridge pieces together.
Attach the assembled cartridge to your syringe.
Filter each sample by gently squeezing the syringe's plunger.
Take the filter cartridge off of the syringe and gently remove the lid exposing the filter paper and trapped material.
Most of the plastic particles you'll find will be fibres. You may use this guide to help you identify them.
Maps of the sampling sites are included at the end of this document.
Four images of each sample are provided. The first is an overview with a scale in millimetres. The next four are a bit closer and show, approximately, each quarter of the filter paper, in counter-clockwise order.
Examine each filter for micro-plastics. You can click on each image to see a higher resolution version.
Examine each filter for micro-plastics. You can click on each image to see a higher resolution version.
Examine each filter for micro-plastics. You can click on each image to see a higher resolution version.
Examine each filter for micro-plastics. You can click on each image to see a higher resolution version.
You can use Google Maps or a similar tool to zoom in the sites. The images included in the presentation are below.
