Small scale habitat effects on anthropogenic litter material and sources in a coastal lagoon system

Coastal plastic pollution: A global perspective

Coastal ecosystems have ecological importance worldwide and require control and prevention measures to mitigate human pollution. The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review to provide a comprehensive overview of the global issue of coastal plastic pollution. 689 articles were eligible for qualitative synthesis and 31 were considered for quantitative analysis. There was an exponential increase in articles addressing coastal plastic pollution over the past 50 years. Studies were mainly carried out on beaches, and plastic bottles were the most found item, followed by cigarette butts. Polyethylene was the predominant plastic polymer, and white microplastic fragments stood out. China published most articles on the topic and Brazil had the highest number of sites sampled. Meta-analysis had significant effect sizes based on the reported data. These findings carry significant implications for environmental policies, waste management practices, and targeted awareness campaigns aimed at mitigating plastic pollution.

Protective personal equipment on coastal environments: Identifying key drivers at a global scale

The contamination of coastal ecosystems by personal protective equipment (PPE) emerged as a significant concern immediately following the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Hence, numerous studies have assessed PPE occurrence on beaches worldwide. However, no predictors on PPE contamination was so far pointed out. The present study investigated social and landscape drivers affecting the PPE density in coastal environments worldwide using a meta-analysis approach. Spatial variables such as urban modification levels, coastal vegetation coverage, population density (HPD), distance from rivers (DNR), and poverty degree (GGRDI) were derived from global satellite data. These variables, along with the time elapsed after WHO declared the pandemic, were included in generalized additive models as potential predictors of PPE density. HPD consistently emerged as the most influential predictor of PPE density (p < 0.00001), exhibiting a positive effect. Despite the presence of complex non-linear relationships, our findings indicate higher PPE density in areas with intermediate GGRDI levels, indicative of emerging economies. Additionally, elevated PPE density was observed in areas located further away from rivers (p < 0.001), and after the initial months of the pandemic. Despite the uncertainties associated with the varied sampling methods employed by the studies comprising our database, this study offers a solid baseline for tackling the global problem of PPE contamination on beachesguiding monitoring assessments in future pandemics.

Physiological cost of Ulva lactuca under combined pressure of nutrient-oxytetracycline: One potential formation and maintenance mechanism of Ulva sp. green tide

Environmental pollution is considered to lead to Ulva sp. green tides. Nevertheless, nutrients with high concentrations inhibit algae which may be damaged by antibiotics, such as OTC (oxytetracycline). Thus, Ulva sp. algae might pay a physiological cost under nutrient-OTC combined pressures. If this hypothesis is confirmed, Ulva sp. algae cannot easily form green tides, or green tides are difficult to maintain. To test this hypothesis, an uniform design experiment during which OTC, ammonia (NH4-N) and phosphate (PO4-P) were factors was set to simulate nutrient-OTC combined pressures, and Ulva lactuca was exposed to the pressures for 96 h. The TN (total nitrogen, CTN) or TP (total phosphorus, CTP) content in U. lactuca increased with increasing nutrient concentrations, as CTN = 21.206±1.000+ 1.227±0.418NH4-N × PO4-P (R2 = 0.282, p < 0.05) and CTP = 1.886±0.266+ 0.877±0.126PO4-P (R2 = 0.689, p < 0.05), respectively. The increase in dry weight of U. lactuca (Wdry) had a relationship with combined pressures, Wdry = 0.011±0.029 - 0.036±0.014PO4-P (R2 = 0.243, p < 0.05), i.e., the algal growth was inhibited by increasing PO4-P concentration. The SOD (Superoxide dismutase) activity (ASOD) was stimulated by OTC, as ASOD = 127.868±8.741+9.587±4.179 OTC (R2 = 0.193, p < 0.05). The contents of Chl a and b (Ca and Cb) were negatively affected by OTC or PO4-P with high concentration, as Ca = 0.566±0.042 - 0.024±0.022 OTC × PO4-P (R2 = 0.179, p < 0.05) and Cb = 0.512±0.043-0.044±0.020PO4-P (R2 = 0.180, p < 0.05). Thus, too high concentrations of PO4-P or OTC may hinder the formation and maintenance of Ulva sp. green tides.

A systematic review on microplastic pollution in water, sediments, and organisms from 50 coastal lagoons across the globe

Coastal lagoons are transitional environments between continental and marine aquatic systems. Globally, coastal lagoons are of great ecological and socioeconomic importance as providers of valuable ecosystem services. However, these fragile environments are subject to several human pressures, including pollution by microplastics (MPs). The aim of this review was to identify and summarize advances in MP pollution research in coastal lagoons across the world. We consider peer-reviewed publications on this topic published in English and Spanish between 2000 and April 21, 2022, available in Scopus and Google Scholar. We found 57 publications with data on MP abundances and their characteristics in 50 coastal lagoons from around the world, 58% of which have some environmental protection status. The number of publications on this type of pollution in lagoons has increased significantly since 2019. Methodological differences amongst studies of MPs in coastal lagoons were nevertheless a limiting factor for wide-ranging comparisons. Most studies (77%) were conducted in single environmental compartments, and integration was limited, hampering current understanding of MP dynamics in such lagoons. MPs were more abundant in lagoons with highly populated shores and watersheds, which support intensive human activities. On the contrary, lagoons in natural protected areas had lower abundances of MPs, mostly in sediments and organisms. Fiber/filament and fragment shapes, and polyethylene, polyester, and polypropylene polymers were predominant. MPs had accumulated in certain areas of coastal lagoons, or had been exported to the sea, depending on the influence of seasonal weather, hydrodynamics, anthropogenic pressures, and typology of MPs. It is advised that future research on MP pollution in coastal lagoons should focus on methodological aspects, assessment/monitoring of pollution itself, MP dynamics and impacts, and prevention measures as part of a sound environmental management.

A New Monitoring Strategy of Large Micro-, Meso- and Macro-Litter: A Case Study on Sandy Beaches of Baltic Lagoons and Estuaries

Coastal lagoons and estuaries are hot spots to accumulate river basin-related plastic leakage. However, no official methodology exists to investigate their relatively short, rich in organic matter beaches, and the knowledge of pollution of lagoons is scarce worldwide. This study aimed to develop a methodology suitable for large micro (2-5 mm), meso (5-25 mm), and macro-litter (>25 mm) monitoring at sandy inner-coastal waters that would provide comparable results to the intensively used OSPAR 100 m method. The method proposed in this study is based on two 40 m² rectangular polygons placed on the tidal accumulation zone for macro-litter enumeration and two 1 m² squares for micro- and meso-litter. This method has been applied to 23 beaches from three inner-coastal waters of the Baltic Sea. This study shows that the litter densities between lagoons and bays differ and depend on the river output intensity and the retention capacity. The "Construction material", "Plastic pieces 2-5 mm", and "Plastic pieces 5-25 mm" were among this study's top ten most common litter items. Experts allocated these items to the "Land based industry and trade" source, which indicates that lagoons and bays through the connection of the major rivers could be a potential sink of land-based litter. An evident strength of the methodology established is the capability to determine litter of all sizes, low-cost and time-efficiency, implementable for volunteer-based monitoring; provides comparable results to the most commonly used methods for investigating litter pollution on coastal beaches.

Stranded marine debris on the touristic beaches in the south of Bali Island, Indonesia: The spatiotemporal abundance and characteristic

Stranded marine debris (MD) has become a hot topic on Bali Island because it threatens coastal tourism sustainability. This study aims to investigate the spatiotemporal abundance and characteristics of MD on 14 touristic beaches in Bali Island. Sampling is carried out twice every season by adapting methods from NOAA's MD program. We found that the average MD abundance and weight were 0.356 ± 0.366 items/m² and 4.057 ± 3.892 g/m², respectively. Plastic dominated the MD based on abundance (86.9%) and weight (40.1%). Plastic bags, straws, and plastic cups are the most common items among plastics. The MD is originated from Indonesia and is dominated by land-based sources. The beaches are categorized as dirty in the rainy seasons and clean in the dry seasons. Statistically, the MD based on abundance, weight, category, source, and level of cleanliness varied significantly between seasons.