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Spatiotemporal variations in rural and urban beach microplastics accumulation in sediment along Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape, Mindanao, the Philippines

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 2025 2 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 58 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Recca E. Sajorne, Arlene Escañan, Arlene Escañan, Zy D. Perpetua, Frank T. Acot, Arlene Escañan, Arlene Escañan, Recca E. Sajorne, Ming-Huang Wang, Frank Paolo Jay B. Albarico, Frank Paolo Jay B. Albarico, Hernando P. Bacosa, Hernando P. Bacosa, Chiu‐Wen Chen, Frank Paolo Jay B. Albarico, Hernando P. Bacosa, Chiu‐Wen Chen, Hernando P. Bacosa, Frank Paolo Jay B. Albarico, Hernando P. Bacosa, Frank T. Acot, Chiu‐Wen Chen, Ming-Huang Wang, Cheng–Di Dong, Chiu‐Wen Chen, Zy D. Perpetua, Frank Paolo Jay B. Albarico, Hernando P. Bacosa, Hernando P. Bacosa, Chiu‐Wen Chen, Chiu‐Wen Chen, Frank Paolo Jay B. Albarico, Frank Paolo Jay B. Albarico, Frank Paolo Jay B. Albarico, Cheng–Di Dong Hernando P. Bacosa, Hernando P. Bacosa, Frank Paolo Jay B. Albarico, Ming-Huang Wang, Chiu‐Wen Chen, Cheng–Di Dong, Cheng–Di Dong Cheng–Di Dong Hernando P. Bacosa, Chiu‐Wen Chen, Cheng–Di Dong, Recca E. Sajorne, Cheng–Di Dong, Frank T. Acot, Cheng–Di Dong Chiu‐Wen Chen, Cheng–Di Dong, Chiu‐Wen Chen, Cheng–Di Dong Cheng–Di Dong Ming-Huang Wang, Cheng–Di Dong Cheng–Di Dong, Frank Paolo Jay B. Albarico, Hernando P. Bacosa, Hernando P. Bacosa, Chiu‐Wen Chen, Chiu‐Wen Chen, Cheng–Di Dong, Cheng–Di Dong, Hernando P. Bacosa, Hernando P. Bacosa, Cheng–Di Dong, Cheng–Di Dong Chiu‐Wen Chen, Cheng–Di Dong, Chiu‐Wen Chen, Cheng–Di Dong, Chiu‐Wen Chen, Frank Paolo Jay B. Albarico, Cheng–Di Dong Cheng–Di Dong Cheng–Di Dong Hernando P. Bacosa, Cheng–Di Dong Cheng–Di Dong, Cheng–Di Dong Chiu‐Wen Chen, Hernando P. Bacosa, Cheng–Di Dong Cheng–Di Dong, Chiu‐Wen Chen, Cheng–Di Dong, Cheng–Di Dong, Hernando P. Bacosa, Hernando P. Bacosa, Hernando P. Bacosa, Hernando P. Bacosa, Cheng–Di Dong, Hernando P. Bacosa, Cheng–Di Dong Hernando P. Bacosa, Hernando P. Bacosa, Cheng–Di Dong

Summary

Researchers measured microplastic contamination in beach sand at urban and rural sites along a protected seascape in the Philippines across wet and dry seasons. They found significantly higher microplastic levels during the wet season, particularly at urban beaches, likely because rainfall washes more plastic debris from land into waterways. The most common plastics identified were polyester and polyethylene, suggesting sources from textiles and common consumer packaging.

Polymers

PE PET

Study Type Environmental

This study evaluated the seasonal changes in the abundance and composition of microplastics in beach sands from urban and rural beaches along Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape, Mindanao, the Philippines. Sand samples were collected during the wet season (August) and dry season (December) using the quadrat-based protocol, and microplastics were extracted using the flotation method. A total of 110 microplastics were collected, with 87 found in the wet and 23 in the dry seasons. Urban beaches during the wet season (0.047 particles/g) exhibited significantly higher (p < 0.05) microplastics than during the dry season (0.015 particles/g). Microplastics are significantly influenced by seasonal changes, particularly during the rainy season when increased precipitation enhances water flow, facilitating the transport of plastic materials from land sources into aquatic environments, leading to higher microplastic concentrations. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis was employed to identify the chemical composition of the microplastics, revealing the primary polymers present, including polyester (23.1%) and polyethylene (23.1%). In urban areas during the wet season, both polyethylene and polyester were the most dominant polymer types, each comprising 37.5% of the total. In contrast, during the dry season, phenoxy resin emerged as the sole dominant polymer type. Rural areas displayed a more varied composition during the wet season, with three polymer types recorded: propylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and butyl methacrylate, each at 33.3%. However, only PET was recorded during the dry season. The highest microplastic abundance was observed in urban beach sediments during the wet season, suggesting urban runoff sources. The findings highlight the influence of human activities on coastal plastic pollution, enhanced by erosion and wet deposition during the wet season. These are crucial to reducing the influx of microplastics, safeguarding the marine ecosystem, and ensuring sustainable coastal environments for future generations.

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