Abstract
Considering that microplastics are widespread in the marine environment, in this study we evaluated the presence, identify distribution, abundance, shape type, and color of microplastics in surface sediment along the Montenegrin coast, on the Adriatic Sea. These preliminary results provide the first published record of microplastics found in the surface sediment of this area and highlight the importance of microplastics as a component of marine debris. We documented the presence of microplastics at all sampling locations. The identification of polymer types was performed using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, whereby the presence of three polymer types became evident: polypropylene (54.5%), polyethylene (9.7%), and acrylate copolymer (2.0%). Another 22.2% of particles were unidentified polymers, and the remaining 11.5% were non-synthetic materials. The most common shape type of microplastics was filaments (55.5%), followed by granules (26.3%), fragments (14.9%), and films (3.3%). The dominant colors of microplastics followed the order: blue > yellow > red > clear > black > green > blue-white > white. The average abundance of microplastics in all sampling locations was 609 pieces of microplastic/kg of dry sediment. Compared with other studies, the surface sediment of the Montenegrin coast is moderately to highly polluted with microplastics, depending on the examined location.
Highlights
Accepted: 29 July 2021Plastic production has increased around the world due to its useful properties; there has been an increase in plastic waste and global plastic pollution [1]
It has been estimated that 20% of plastic waste in the sea comes from sea-based sources [4,5], while as much as 80% comes from land-based sources
Because the potential MPs Particles (MPPs) looked similar in terms of morphology, at least 15% of the collected MPPs from each sample (688 in total) were analyzed for their chemical composition to identify common polymers, representing the most common items in sediment samples from all locations
Summary
Plastic production has increased around the world due to its useful properties; there has been an increase in plastic waste and global plastic pollution [1]. According to Cole et al [2], in the marine environment, plastic is considered the main “ingredient”. For this reason, it is not surprising that plastic particles of different sizes and shapes are found in all segments of marine ecosystems around the world [3]. The presence of marine plastic litter, which may contain harmful contaminants, poses a potential risk to marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and food availability [7]. Due to the marked growth in the production and use of plastics, there is a need for its identification and analysis in sediments, seawater, and living organisms
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