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                <gco:CharacterString>The Cefas Data Portal contains metadata records and data sets available to download and connect to in support of our commitment to open science. Data is available in the following formats: CSV, ESRI Shapefile. The data can also be accessed via the WFS and WMS protocols.</gco:CharacterString>
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            <gco:CharacterString>Sediment cores (n=22) used in this study were collected on the RV Cefas 
Endeavour from 7th to 16th January, and 20th May to 15th June 2017 by the 
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) as a part of 
integrated monitoring pilot surveys, or Sentinel Monitoring (type-1) cruises 
(cruise codes CEND01/17 and CEND09/17) (Murray et al, 2017; Eggett, 2018). MP 
sample collection was opportunistic, carried out alongside the wider survey 
aims, hence sites were not selected based on MP-driven hypotheses. Cores were 
collected from three locations; one in the North Sea: DB (n=13), and two sites 
in the Celtic Sea: NWJB (n=6) and CNYN (n=3). Site selection at each location 
was governed by the primary survey monitoring aims, as laid out in the cruise 
reports (Eggett, 2018; Murray et al., 2017) with all monitoring stations 
visited cored for MPs on CEND01/17, while a 10% subset of monitoring stations 
samples for other parameters were cored for MPs on CEND09/17. All locations 
are designated as Special Areas of Conversation under the Convention for the 
Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-east Atlantic (OSPAR) and as 
such are of particular interest for marine policy development or management 
considerations. Further details of the broader sampling route selection and 
rationale have been described in Noble-James et al. (2018).

Approximately 50 Nile Red particles were picked off filters from ZnCl2 
extracted marine sediment samples. A blue Crimelite (Foster and Freeman) was 
used to excite the NR fluorescence and the filters were viewed through orange 
safety spectacles, allowing the fluorescing particles to be detected. A bamboo 
cocktail stick moistened with ethanol was used to assist with removal. The 
particles were placed on a 25 mm diameter 0.45µm porosity silver filter (Merck 
Millipore), taped by its edges to a mounting plate for the Bruker Hyperion 
2000 microscope (single cooled MCT detector, coupled with a Vertex 70 FT-IR). 
Particles were located one by one, photographed using the 4X visible lens for 
size and shape information, then measured using the 20X Ge tip ATR lens (32 
scans, 4cm-1 resolution, pressure setting “1”). Spectra were assessed 
visually, for general acceptability, then polymer identification was verified 
based on the % match against provided polymer libraries (ATR-FTIR-Library 
complete, Vol.1-4; Bruker Optics ATR-Polymer Library; IR-Spectra of Polymers, 
Diamond -ATR, IR-Spectra of Polymers, Geranium-AT &amp; IR-Spectra of Additives, 
Diamond-ATR). Only matches above 60% were selected for a positive microplastic 
validation and polymer identification (Leistenschneider et al., 2021). No 
spectral corrections (baseline flattening, ATR correction, moisture/CO2 
removal) were applied. If these tools were used the HQI values will increase, 
but at the cost of increased time input. We chose not to do this to simplify 
the operational workflow.

Eggett, A., McBreen, F., Griffiths, Y., van Rein, H., Last, E. &amp; Callaway, A, 
2018. Report no 21. CEND0917 Cruise Report: North-West of Jones Bank and The 
Canyons Marine Conservation Zones’ Monitoring Survey.

Leistenschneider C., Burkhardt-Holm P., Mani T., Primpke S., Taubner H. &amp; 
Gerdts, G. 2021 Microplastics in the Weddell Sea (Antarctica): A Forensic 
Approach for Discrimination between Environmental and Vessel-Induced 
Microplastics

Murray, J., Holmes, I., Silburn, B., Sivyer, D., Pettigrew, J., S., S. and 
Ware, S., 2017. Survey Report: CEND 01/17 Ecosystem Based Monitoring Case 
Study Southern North Sea: Dogger Bank Strata 2017.

Noble-James, T., Jesus, A. &amp; McBreen, F., 2017. Monitoring guidance for marine 
benthic habitats. In: J.R.N. 598 (Editor), Peterborough</gco:CharacterString>
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