Evaluating the Distributions and Impacts of Macroplastic Pollutants in Agansa Coastal Community, South Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

The distributions and impacts of macroplastic pollutants in Agansa coastal Community, Southeastern Nigeria was studied. Samplings of floating marine debris or macroplastics in the water column were collected using nets towing, while hand-picking method was adopted at the shore by marking a 5 by 5 meter gridded section for samples counting and collection. The collected plastic debris was transferred to the laboratory for sorting and weighing. The results showed a mean abundance of plastic debris in the study areas in respect to the month. The composition of plastic debris ranged in size mainly from 1 to 20 cm. In terms of composition, plastic bottles was the most common and abundant (12.7%), followed by packaging plastics (11.2%), sachets (9.8%), nylon (6.2%), fishing equipments (5.8%), and many others. The weight of plastic debris in the study areas ranged from 5.3 to 17.5grams. Moreover, the plastic debris significantly correlated both positively and negatively at (p < 0.01) and (p < 0.05) level. Some physicochemical parameters of surface water in the study area were high in the upstream than downstream. From the mean evaluation, total dissolved solids (TDS) >Temperature >Salinity>total suspended solids (TSS) > pH >dissolved oxygen (DO) >Turbidity in the months of January and March. The result of the statistical analysis shows both significant and no significant difference (p<0.05) between the parameters and months. This study provided a method to quantify the inventory of plastic debris on a beach. The tidal variation and human activities were responsible for the plastic debris accumulation. Hence, this study could be helpful to consider regional tidal variations and critical source areas for effective plastic debris clean-up.