Abundance, characteristics, and distribution of microplastics in Banda Sea and Seram Sea, Indonesia

Abstract

This study recorded the abundance, characteristics, and distribution of microplastics (MPs) in the surface water in the Banda Sea and Seram Sea. The Banda Sea has known for its complex bathymetry with the shape of a basin in the west and a Sahul Shelf in the east. Due to its unique topography, it controls the water mass exchange in Indonesian waters. The Banda Sea and Seram Sea are dominated by the deep sea with bathymetry of more than 1000 m. Station observation consists of 5 stations in the Banda Sea and 3 stations in the Seram Sea. The microplastic abundance in the surface waters from the Banda Sea and Seram Sea ranged from 4.69 to 22.48 items/L with an average abundance of 14.07 items/L. The highest abundance of MPs was found in Station 1 of Banda Sea due to the closest to Ambon as the capital of Maluku Province. The dominant shape of MPs found such as fibre, fragment, and pellet. The polymer type of MPs found were PET, HDPE, LDPE, PVC, PP, and Nylon. Generally, the abundance of MPs on the surface of the deep-sea area was found lesser than in the coastal area since the MPs distributions are influenced by hydrodynamics and anthropogenic activity.