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Microplastic Concentration and Morphotype Composition in Beach Sediments: Contrasting Patterns Between a Semi-Enclosed Gulf (Pagasitikos) and the Open NW Aegean Coast, Greece
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Scientists checked ten Greek beaches for tiny plastic bits and found that how enclosed a bay is mattered less than expected, instead, a few "hotspot" beaches near specific pollution sources had way more plastic pellets than others. This matters because it suggests cleanup and prevention efforts should target these local pollution sources (like factories or shipping routes) rather than assuming all sheltered coastlines are equally at risk, since these plastic particles can end up in seafood and eventually our food supply.
Direct comparisons of microplastic (MP) contamination between semi-enclosed and open Mediterranean coasts remain scarce. We quantified MP concentration and morphotype composition at ten sandy beaches in Thessaly, Greece (five in the semi-enclosed Pagasitikos Gulf and five on the open NW Aegean coast), sampling supralittoral and active-swash sediments (n = 100): (~800 g composite per 1 m2 quadrat). Particles were extracted by NaCl density separation and screened using Nile Red fluorescence. We recorded 10,506 Nile Red-positive putative MPs (1–1297 items m−2; mean 105.1 ± 175.1; median 53.5 items m−2). Pellets/beads dominated (51.7%), followed by fragments (37.2%) and fibres (10.6%). Mean concentration was higher in the gulf than on the open coast (147.6 ± 226.0 vs. 62.5 ± 73.6 items m−2), but the area effect was non-significant (GLMM, p = 0.110), while among-beach heterogeneity was high (CV = 91.4%). A localized pellet hotspot occurred in the Kala Nera active swash (525.8 pellets m−2), producing a significant pellet-specific Area × Zone interaction (p = 0.033). Pellets contributed 42.9% of between-area dissimilarity (SIMPER, p = 0.013). These results indicate that localized, source-specific inputs may outweigh broad hydrodynamic differences in shaping regional contamination patterns.
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