Seasonal Distribution, Composition, and Inventory of Plastic Debris on the Yugang Park Beach in Zhanjiang Bay, South China Sea

Occurrence of marine plastic litter and plasticizers from touristic beaches of Arauco Gulf in Central Chile

Marine plastic litter (MPL) was collected from beaches (n = 3) of the Arauco Gulf in central Chile in spring 2021 and summer 2022. MPL was analyzed for physical and chemical characteristics, and plasticizers were also screened using FTIR-ATR. Three hundred seventeen plastic items with an accumulated weight of 226.8 g were found. MPL densities ranged from 0.4 to 17.1 items m-2. Significant differences (p < 0.05) between seasons were observed for Arauco and Maule beaches, being ∼ten times higher in summer compared to spring. Solid pieces were the predominant shape, macroplastics were the most abundant (>2.5 cm), and white and blue colors were dominant. Polypropylene (52 %) and polyethylene (31 %) were the predominant polymers. Plasticizers (n = 3) were detected in the MPL in the study area (dioctyl phthalate, polybutene, and alpha-methylstyrene) for the first time. This study contributes new information related to MPL in coastal areas of central Chile and their chemical composition.

Citizen scientists study beach litter along 12,000 km of the East Pacific coast: A baseline for the International Plastic Treaty

Anthropogenic Marine Litter (AML) accumulating on beaches causes damage to coastal ecosystems and high costs to local communities. Volunteers sampled AML on 130 beaches along the central and southern East Pacific coasts, with AML densities ranging from 0.46 to 2.26 items m-2 in the different countries. AML composition was dominated by plastics and cigarette butts, the latter especially in Mexico and Chile. The accumulation of AML in the upper zones of the beaches and substantial proportions of cigarette butts, glass and metal pointed mainly to local sources. Statistical modelling of litter sources on continental beaches revealed that tourism, access and related infrastructure (e.g. parking lots) best explained AML densities, while plastic densities were also influenced by the distance from river mouths and national Gross Domestic Product. Large-scale monitoring can be a useful tool to evaluate the effectiveness of public policies that should primarily focus on land sources.

Marine plastic pollution in Morocco: state of the knowledge on origin, occurrence, fate, and management

Plastic pollution presents a major challenge facing stakeholders and decision-making worldwide. Plastics in the ocean damage biodiversity and marine ecosystem services that the blue economy relies upon. The present work analyses and reviews the literature on plastic pollution and the background knowledge about marine plastic pollution in Morocco. The economy of Morocco depends mainly on marine activities, including fisheries, tourism, and maritime trade. These sectors were identified as the main in-situ sources of plastics entering Moroccan coastal waters. The analysis results showed that the increasing abundance of plastics in such marine systems causes substantial economic loss to blue economy activities. In contrast, the lack of data on the plastic waste quantity entering Moroccan water is a limiting factor for assessing plastic pollution. This highlights the need for a risk assessment and more field investigations to value the weight impacts of marine activities generators of plastics on biodiversity and the economy. In addition, implementing laws and rules forbidding the disposal of plastic waste (PW) in public spaces, mainly beaches, and streets, is urgently needed. Raising awareness of plastic waste management and prioritizing improved waste collection, sorting, and management would boost Morocco's establishment and adoption of circular economy strategies. It is worth noting that while implementing the management projects and regulatory frameworks of plastic waste, considering their source and usage purpose is mandatory.

The occurrence, speciation, and ecological effect of plastic pollution in the bay ecosystems

Bay is a unique part of the ecosystem, acting as the intersection for marine and terrestrial systems and hosting diverse biological organisms. The ubiquitous application of plastics has resulted in a massive amount of plastic waste released and accumulated in the bay ecosystem, posing significant ecological effects. Thus, thoroughly understanding plastic pollution's occurrence, speciation, and ecological effect in the bay ecosystems is of vital importance. We conducted a comprehensive review on the sources and distribution of plastics in the bay ecosystem, and the associate ecological effects, from individual toxicity to trophic transfer in ecosystems. Among bay areas around the world, the concentrations of microplastics vary from 0.01 to 3.62 × 10⁵ item/m³ in seawater and 0 to 6.75 × 10⁵ item/kg in sediment. Small-sized plastic particles (mostly <2 mm) were widely reported in bay organisms with the concentration range of 0 to 22.5 item/ind. Besides, the toxicity of plastics on marine organisms has been documented in terms of mortality, growth, development, reproduction, enzyme activity and transcription. Since abundance of small plastic particles (e.g., micro- and nano-scale) is far greater than large plastic debris in the bay ecosystems, in-depth risk assessment of small-sized plastics needs to be conducted under environmentally realistic conditions. Our review could provide a better understanding on the occurrence, speciation, and ecological effect of plastic pollution in the bay ecosystems.

Microplastic Variations in Land-Based Sources of Coastal Water Affected by Tropical Typhoon Events in Zhanjiang Bay, China

Increasingly serious microplastic pollution in coastal areas and the ecological threats associated with plastics have attracted global attention. The frequency and intensity of typhoons have increased owing to global warming, strongly influencing the distribution and composition of microplastics in coastal ecosystems. In this study, the abundance, composition, diversity, and flux of microplastics in three estuaries and one sewage outlet in Zhanjiang Bay (ZJB) were analyzed. The average abundance of microplastics from land-based sources increased 3.6-fold from 14.19 ± 3.60 items/L before Typhoon Kompasu to 51.19 ± 28.53 items/L after the typhoon (p < 0.05). In addition, the proportion of fiber and large microplastics increased after the typhoon. In all samples, microplastics 100–330 μm in size were predominant, and blue was the most abundant color. The diversity in the color and size of microplastics increased after Typhoon Kompasu. The total daily flux of microplastics at the four stations entering ZJB was 3.95 × 1011 items before the typhoon and 9.93 × 1011 items after the typhoon, showing a 2.5-fold increase. This study demonstrated the influence of Typhoon Kompasu on microplastics from land-based sources of ZJB coastal waters and provided vital data for further study on MP pollution in coastal water ecosystems and the impact of typhoons on microplastics.