SEASONAL VARIATIONS IN THE CONTENT OF MICROPLASTIC PARTICLES IN THE SANDS OF THE BEACH SWASH ZONE

  • P. N. Krivoshlyk Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences
  • I. P. Chubarenko Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences
DOI 10.29006/1564-2291.JOR-2021.49(2).4
Keywords sandy beach, wave splash zone, annual dynamics, microplastic pollution, concentration, the Baltic Sea

Abstract

The paper considers the seasonal dynamics of the content of microplastic particles with a size from 0.5 to 5 mm in the sands of the surf zone of the Vistula Spit (the Baltic Sea). Microplastic particles are classified by size and color. The results are compared with the data for the Curonian Spit. It is concluded that the level of contamination with small microplastics (0.5–2 mm) of the sands of the swash zone can be used as a "background" value for the entire region and during all seasons of the year. The current level of sand contamination in the wave swash zone in the South-Eastern Baltic by small microplastic particles (0.5–2 mm) is 30–60 pieces per kg of dry weight throughout the year, while more than 90% are fibers.

References


  1. Blott, S.J. and K. Pye, 2001: Gradistat: A Grain Size Distribution and Statistics Package for the Analysis of Unconcolidated Sediments. Earth Surf Process Landforms, 26, 1237–1248.

  2. Birkun, A., A. Atudorei, T. Gamgebeli, S.G. Dedeoglu, N. Movchan, A. Nikolova, E. Okus, and Y. Yurenko, 2007: Marine Litter in the Black Sea Region. Commission on the protection of the Black Sea against pollution. Retrieved from: http://www.blacksea-commission.org/_publ-ML.asp, 17 June 2021.

  3. Chubarenko, I., E. Esiukova, L. Khatmullina, O. Lobchuk, A. Grave, A. Kileso, and M. Haseler, 2020: From macro to micro, from patchy to uniform: analyzing plastic contamination along and across a sandy tide-less coast. Mar. Pollut. Bull., https:doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111198.

  4. Chubarenko, I.P., E.E. Esiukova, A.V. Bagaev, M.A. Bagaeva, and A.N. Grave, 2018: Three-dimensional distribution of anthropogenic microparticles in the body of sandy beaches Science of the Total Environment. Vol. 628–629, 1340–1351, DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.02.167.

  5. Eo, S., S.H. Hong, Y.K. Song, J. Lee, Js. Lee, and W.J. Shim, 2018: Abundance, composition, and distribution of microplastics larger than 20 μm in sand beaches of South Korea Environmental pollution. 238, 894–902.

  6. Esyukova, E. and I. Chubarenko, 2018: Osobennosti raspredeleniya mikroplastika na peschanykh plyazhakh Kaliningradskoy oblasti (Baltiyskoe more). Regional'naya ekologiya. 1(51), 108–121 (in Russian).

  7. Esiukova, E., M. Zobkov, and I. Chubarenko, 2020: Data on microplastic contamination of the Baltic Sea bottom sediment samples in 2015–2016. Data in Brief. 28, 104887 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2019.104887.

  8. HELCOM, 2007: Marine Litter in the Baltic Sea Region: Assessment of the Marine. Litter Problem in the Baltic Region and Priorities for Response. (Helsinki, Finland).

  9. Lindeque, P.K., M. Cole, R.L. Coppock, C.N. Lewis, R.Z. Miller, A.J.R. Watts, A. Wilson-McNeal, S.L. Wright, and T.S. Galloway, 2020: Are we underestimating microplastic abundance in the marine environment? A comparison of microplastic capture with nets of different mesh-size Environmental Pollution. 265, 114721.

  10. Masura, J., J. Baker, G. Foster, and C. Arthur, 2015: Laboratory methods for the analysis of microplastics in the marine environment: recommendations for quantifying synthetic particles in waters and sediments NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS-OR&R-48. 31 2015.

  11. Norén, F., 2007: Small plastic particles in Coastal Swedish waters. KIMO report, 11 p.

  12. Simeonova, A., R. Chuturkova and V. Yaneva, 2017: Seasonal dynamics of marine litter along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast Marine Pollution Bulletin. 119, 1, 110–118.

  13. UNEP, 2009: Marine Litter: A Global Challenge. UNEP, Nairobi, pp. 232.

  14. Van Sebille, E., C. Wilcox, L. Lebreton, N. Maximenko, B.D. Hardesty, J.A. van Franeker, M. Eriksen, D. Siegel, F. Galgani and K.L. Law, 2015: A global inventory of small floating plastic debris Environmental Research Letters. 10, 12, 124006.

  15. Wentworth, C.K., 1922: A scale of grade and class terms for clastic sediments he journal of geology, 30, 5, 377–392.

  16. Whitmire, S.L., and S.J. van Bloem, 2017: Quantification of microplastics on National Park Beaches. 6/ 01/2015–05/31/2017 prepared for: marine debris program, Office of Response and Restoration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, contract GSI-CU-1505.
Published
2021-09-01
Issue
Vol 49 No 2 (2021): Journal of Oceanological Research
Section
Marine geology, geophysics and geochemistry

Transfer of copyrights occurs on the basis of a license agreement between the Author and Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, RAS

Most read articles by the same author(s)