Anthropogenic microfiber dataset for Richland Creek watershed Nashville, TN, USA

Anthropogenic microfiber pollution (small thread-like pieces of
microplastic and organic material <5mm in size) can pose a
significant threat to urban rivers. However, we often lack an
understanding of how tributaries contribute to anthropogenic microfiber
pollution in urban rivers. In this study, we examined how anthropogenic
microfiber presence and abundance varied in six tributaries of the
Cumberland River in Nashville, TN, USA in spring 2022. To do this, we
collected grab samples from the six tributaries at four different time
points and counted the number of anthropogenic microfibers found across
sites and time (n=96 samples). For each of the 96 samples, we counted the
number of anthropogenic microfibers by pouring our water samples into
steel sieves with three different sizes (5.00, 1.02, and 0.38mm) and doing
grid searches with both a dissecting scope and a Nightsea Microscope
Adapter with royal blue excitation filter. Over the course of the study,
there were anthropogenic microfibers present at all sites and all time
points. These findings demonstrate that anthropogenic microfiber pollution
is common in tributaries and can be an important source of pollution for
urban rivers.