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Survey of Marine Microplastics on the East Coast of the Southern Part of Okinawa Island — Identification of Types and Assessment of Degradation
Original title: 沖縄本島南部の東海岸における海洋マイクロプラスチックの実態調査 - 種類の判別と劣化の評価 -
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This study surveyed microplastic accumulation on four beaches along the east coast of Okinawa, Japan, finding polyethylene (52.4%) and polypropylene (37.9%) as the dominant polymer types, together comprising 90% of all particles. Coastal landforms were found to influence the spatial distribution of microplastics washed ashore.
Drifting ashore of microplastics on four east coast beaches in the southern part of Okinawa island, Japan is reported. Microplastics (MPs) is a term used to describe very small plastic particles that are under 5 mm in diameter. MPs were separated from the sands using gravity separation. Infrared absorption spectroscopy (FT-IR)indicates that polyethylene (PE) is the most commonly used polymer type, accounting for 52.4% of the total MPs, followed by polypropylene (PP) at 37.9%. PE and PP combined to make up 90% of the total MPs. A simple compression test was used to assess the deterioration of MPs. In addition, drifting ashore of MPs affected by coastal landforms was researched.
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