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Microplastics assessment in the Scheldt Estuary within the PLASTFLOW Project, 2024–2025
Citable as data publication
Meyers, N.; Dhondt, C.; Rondelez, J.; Devriese, L.; Muyle, J.; Bossaer, M.; Miranda, M.; Nitschke, T.; Grandjean, J.; Zoete, L.; Lefevre, L.; Stiers, X.; Asselman, J.; Pequeur, E.; Diels, H.; Blust, R.; Catarino, A.I.; Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ); Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology (GhEnToxLab), Ghent University (UGent); ECOSPHERE, University of Antwerp (UAntwerp): Belgium; (2025): Microplastics assessment in the Scheldt Estuary within the PLASTFLOW Project, 2024–2025. Marine Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.14284/767

Availability: This work is licensed under http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/L08/current/MO meaning it is under moratorium until 2026-06-30

Description

Microplastic observations from water and sediment in the Scheldt Estuary (2024–2025), collected and analysed within the PLASTFLOW project by the Flanders Marine Institute, Ghent University, and the University of Antwerp.

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This dataset is part of the PLASTFLOW project and contains tidal-cycle, hotspot, and spot-sampling observations of microplastic presence in the Scheldt Estuary, acquired in the context of the Flemish Integral Action Plan on Marine Litter (OVAM). Microplastics were collected from surface water using a manta net and throughout the water column with a FerryBox sampling system. Sediment samples were acquired using a Van Veen Grab. Sampling was performed during 2024–2025 at eight different locations in the Scheldt Estuary.


Scope
Themes:
Environmental quality/pollution > Site assessments/surveys
Keywords:
Brackish water · Hotspots · Microlitter · Microplastics · Plastics · Sediment sampling · Tidal cycles · Water column · Schelde · Scheldt Estuary

Geographical coverage
Schelde [Marine Regions]
Scheldt Estuary [Marine Regions]

Temporal coverage
2 April 2024 - 10 April 2025
Seasonally

Parameters
Conductivity
Dissolved Oxygen concentration
Particle length
Particle width
pH
Polymer type
Salinity
Sampling volume
Turbidity
Water temperature

Contributors
Universiteit Gent; Faculteit Bio-ingenieurswetenschappen; Vakgroep Dierwetenschappen en Aquatische Ecologie; Laboratorium voor Milieutoxicologie (GhEnToxLab), moredata creator
Universiteit Antwerpen; Faculteit Wetenschappen; Departement Biologie; ECOSPHERE, moredata creator

Project
PLASTFLOW: PLASTFLOW - Opvolgmeting in het kader van Doelstelling 9 van het Vlaams Actieplan Marien Zwerfvuil, more
Funding OVAM (Public Waste Agency of Flanders)

Publication
Describing this dataset
Meyers, N. et al. (2025). PLASTFLOW Final Report: Quantifying plastic fluxes and identifying plastic hotspots in the Scheldt Estuary (Deliverable 1.2). Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ): Ostend. 87 pp. https://dx.doi.org/10.48470/128, more

Dataset status: Completed
Data type: Data
Data origin: Research: field survey
Metadatarecord created: 2025-12-11
Information last updated: 2025-12-23
All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy