A comparison of microscopic and spectroscopic identification methods for analysis of microplastics in environmental samples
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Updated: Apr 17, 2026
Protocol for Microplastics Sampling on the Sea Surface and Sample Analysis
Published on: December 16, 2016
Young Kyoung Song1, Sang Hee Hong1, Mi Jang1
1Oil and POPs Research Group, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Geoje-shi 656-834, South Korea; Marine Environmental Chemistry and Biology, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 305-320, South Korea.
Abstract:
The analysis of microplastics in various environmental samples requires the identification of microplastics from natural materials. The identification technique lacks a standardized protocol. Herein, stereomicroscope and Fourier transform infrared spectroscope (FT-IR) identification methods for microplastics (<1mm) were compared using the same samples from the sea surface microlayer (SML) and beach sand. Fragmented microplastics were significantly (p<0.05) underestimated and fiber was significantly overestimated using the stereomicroscope both in the SML and beach samples. The total abundance by FT-IR was higher than by microscope both in the SML and beach samples, but they were not significantly (p>0.05) different. Depending on the number of samples and the microplastic size range of interest, the appropriate identification method should be determined; selecting a suitable identification method for microplastics is crucial for evaluating microplastic pollution.
