Abstract
This work describes the spatiotemporal analysis of microplastics (MPs) pollution in sediments collected on a high urbanized beach located in Taghazout coast, central Atlantic part of Morocco. The study area is mainly composed of moderately well-sorted fine sands with an average density of MPs that ranged between 915 MPs/kg in 2018 and 1448 MPs/kg in 2019. The most polluted sites were in the south part of Taghazout coast, close to facilities of where beachgoers are often found. Microplastic Pollution Index (MPPI), Microplastic Impact Coefficient (CMPI), Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC), and Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) revealed spatiotemporal variation of MPs pollution. Thus, the principal component analysis (PCA) showed a low correlation between the sediment characteristics (i.e., grain size, sorting, skewness) and MPs densities. Overall, the outputs of this baseline recommend implementing plastic management strategies to eliminate or at least minimize the collateral effects generated by MPs pollution in sediments of urbanized beaches.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
