Study to count and characterise micro and macroplastics on the beaches of Lake Geneva.
This project was made possible thanks to the support of the International Commission for the Protection of Lake Geneva (CIPEL)the Loterie romande and Electricité Vitale Vert Fund SIG and Valery Foundation. Many thanks to them for their confidence in the ASL to carry out this study.
Carried out in collaboration with the University of Geneva, the ASL's "Pla'stock" study, proposed and supported by the CIPEL as part of its action plan, has made it possible to estimate the quantities of plastic present on the beaches of Lake Geneva in 2021 and 2022.
A total of 217 substrate samples were taken from 25 beaches. The microplastics (0.3 to 5 mm) extracted from these samples and counted revealed an average of 8,000 microplastics per m2, or 12,000 elements for a 1.5 m2 bath towel. This figure shows the importance of the contribution of synthetic textile fibres released by clothes during washing or through normal wear and tear (more than 60 %). The remainder comes from the fragmentation of plastics in the environment.
In terms of macroplastics, the average concentration was 3.4 plastic elements per linear metre of beach. Most of the items collected were unidentified fragments. The three most frequently identified elements are food packaging, cigarette butts and pellets (industrial plastic granules).
You can view the full report by clicking on the button below.
The ASL has been concerned about plastic pollution of the water for several years. It has commissioned Dr Julien Boucher to assess the lake's plastic load.
This study, presented in the Lake Geneva n° 110 in December 2018, shows that Lake Geneva receives more than 50 tonnes of plastic every year, mainly in run-off water.
In response to these alarming findings, the ASL has organised a conferencebringing together scientists, administrations and associations to take stock of the knowledge acquired on the subject and to devise projects that could be set up to improve the situation (see Lémaniques n° 117 December 2020).
Assessment of macroplastics
Twenty-five beaches were selected around Lake Geneva, in both France and Switzerland, and small groups of volunteer participants went to them four times a year to collect the plastics visible to the naked eye from specific areas. They were given training in harvesting strategy, how to pay attention to the smallest particles (up to 5mm), and how to sort the plastics and transmit the data to our Net'Léman application which has been enriched with new categories for the occasion.
Sampling and analysis of microplastics
The "microplastics" component (particles smaller than 5 mm) was carried out on the same beaches using a specific protocol developed jointly by the ASL and the University of Geneva via two master's degree projects by the group led by Dr. Serge Stoll, a specialist in environmental physics and chemistry (F.-A. Forel Department).
Interim results are available in our quarterly review Lémaniques n°127.
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