The first occurrence, spatial distribution and characteristics of microplastic particles in sediments from Banten Bay, Indonesia

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) are recognized as an emerging issue worldwide, including Indonesia. Due to the limited of data available regarding MPs pollution in Indonesian waters, we investigated the occurrence, spatial distribution, characteristics, and potential ecological impacts of MPs in sediments from 25 stations in the Banten Bay, a shallow and semi enclosed bay located on the northwestern coast of Java, Indonesia. The bay has experienced very high population pressure due to increasing coastal development in the last decade. MPs were extracted by flotation methods, observed under a stereomicroscope, and identified by FTIR imaging. This study showed that MPs pollution is prevalent in the Banten Bay, where all sediments contained MPs with an average concentration of 267 ± 98 particles/kg dw sediment. The most common shape, size, and polymer type were foam (38% of the observed MPs), size between 500 and 1000 μm (>50%), and extended polystyrene, respectively. The particles were found to be more highly distributed in the stations with fine sediment grain sizes and in locations near the river mouth of the island than in areas offshore, which suggests that the impact of the MPs currently in the sediments might be harmful to the benthic community and potentially increase the magnitude into the pelagic community. Moreover, the river effluent is suggested as a pathway for plastic pollution to the Banten Bay.