BCO-DMO ERDDAP
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Row Type Variable Name Attribute Name Data Type Value
attribute NC_GLOBAL cdm_data_type String Other
attribute NC_GLOBAL Conventions String COARDS, CF-1.6, ACDD-1.3
attribute NC_GLOBAL creator_email String info at bco-dmo.org
attribute NC_GLOBAL creator_name String BCO-DMO
attribute NC_GLOBAL creator_url String https://www.bco-dmo.org/ (external link)
attribute NC_GLOBAL doi String 10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.957950.1
attribute NC_GLOBAL infoUrl String https://osprey.bco-dmo.org/dataset/957950 (external link)
attribute NC_GLOBAL institution String BCO-DMO
attribute NC_GLOBAL license String The data may be used and redistributed for free but is not intended\nfor legal use, since it may contain inaccuracies. Neither the data\nContributor, ERD, NOAA, nor the United States Government, nor any\nof their employees or contractors, makes any warranty, express or\nimplied, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a\nparticular purpose, or assumes any legal liability for the accuracy,\ncompleteness, or usefulness, of this information.
attribute NC_GLOBAL sourceUrl String (local files)
attribute NC_GLOBAL summary String The photodegradation of macroplastics in the marine environment remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the weathering of commercially available plastics (tabs 1.3 × 4.4 × 0.16 cm), including high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and polycarbonate, in seawater under laboratory-simulated ultraviolet A radiation for 3–9 months, equivalent to 25–75 years of natural sunlight exposure without considering other confounding factors. After the exposure, the physical integrity and thermal stability of the tabs remained relatively intact, suggesting that the bulk polymer chains were not severely altered despite strong irradiation, likely due to their low specific surface area. In contrast, the surface layer (∼1 μm) of the tabs was highly oxidized and eroded after 9 months of accelerated weathering. Several antioxidant additives were identified in the plastics through low temperature pyrolysis coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Pyr-GC/MS) analysis. The Pyr-GC/MS results also revealed many new oxygen-containing compounds formed during photodegradation, and these compounds indicated the dominance of chain scission reactions during weathering. These findings highlight the strong resistance of industrial macroplastics to weathering, emphasizing the need for a broader range of plastics with varying properties and sizes to accurately estimate plastic degradation in the marine environment.
attribute NC_GLOBAL title String [Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy data] - Photodegradation of macroplastics in the marine environment: fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (EAGER: Collaborative Research: NSF2026:  Is Plastic Degradation Occurring in the Deep Ocean Water Column?)
variable Polymer_name String
attribute Polymer_name long_name String Polymer_name
attribute Polymer_name units String unitless
variable Polymer_acronym String
attribute Polymer_acronym long_name String Polymer_acronym
attribute Polymer_acronym units String unitless
variable Incubation_time int
attribute Incubation_time actual_range int 0, 9
attribute Incubation_time long_name String Incubation_time
attribute Incubation_time units String unitless
variable Unit_of_incubation_time String
attribute Unit_of_incubation_time long_name String Unit_of_incubation_time
attribute Unit_of_incubation_time units String unitless
variable Replicate int
attribute Replicate actual_range int 1, 6
attribute Replicate long_name String Replicate
attribute Replicate units String unitless
variable vinyl_index float
attribute vinyl_index actual_range float 0.005015705, 8.440875
attribute vinyl_index long_name String Vinyl_index
attribute vinyl_index units String unitless
variable ketone_index float
attribute ketone_index actual_range float 0.009467059, 5.727944
attribute ketone_index long_name String Ketone_index
attribute ketone_index units String unitless
variable ether_index float
attribute ether_index actual_range float 0.005579405, 3.145385
attribute ether_index long_name String Ether_index
attribute ether_index units String unitless
variable alcohol_index float
attribute alcohol_index actual_range float 2.55E-5, 20.02797
attribute alcohol_index long_name String Alcohol_index
attribute alcohol_index units String unitless
variable Oxidation_index float
attribute Oxidation_index actual_range float 0.02277591, 36.20404
attribute Oxidation_index long_name String Oxidation_index
attribute Oxidation_index units String unitless

 
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