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Spatial Patterns of Marine Litter on a Remote South Atlantic Ocean Island: Setting Baselines for Monitoring
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Researchers surveyed trash on seven beaches of Trindade Island, a remote South Atlantic island, finding plastic made up most litter (82%), mostly hard fragments. Beaches facing away from the wind had more and larger litter pieces than wind-facing beaches. The study suggests two measurement methods could help track plastic pollution on remote islands over time.
Abstract Marine plastic litter is a major environmental problem across all oceans, including remote regions. Here, we described the characteristics and spatial distribution of marine litter stranded on the beaches of Trindade Island, in the South Atlantic Ocean, 1200 km off the South American mainland, before the establishment of marine protected areas and the initiation of a long-term research program on the island. Seven beaches differing in exposure to wind and substrate were sampled. A total of 1317 litter items were recorded, with plastics as the main litter (81.9%), mostly hard plastic fragments. Although Lixo Beach had the smallest surveyed area (425 m 2 ), it exhibited the highest litter density (0.74 items/m 2 ) and highest litter-covered area (2.2% of the sampled beach area). Domestic and household purpose items composed the bulk of identifiable items (28.9%), followed by naval (22.5%) and fishery (17.7%) pieces. Litter distribution among beaches differed, with leeward beaches accumulating significantly more and larger litter items than windward beaches, revealing substantial local-scale variation patterns in debris retention. These beaches are characterized by coarse, large pebble substrates rather than sand. Our analysis of pollution indices demonstrated that the Clean Coast Index ( CCI ) and the Plastic Abundance Index ( PAI ) are strongly correlated and suitable for long-term monitoring. This study confirms that oceanic islands are prone to accumulating marine litter, while contrasting results from other studies on Trindade Island emphasize the need for simple yet standardized protocols to support long-term monitoring of plastic pollution in remote environments.
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Solid waste and microplastic abundance and distribution were characterized on beaches of three islands in southeastern Brazil - Trindade, Grande, and Paqueta - varying in proximity to the continent and occupation patterns. The study identified factors driving debris origin and distribution, including island remoteness, tourism, and proximity to shipping routes.
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Researchers sampled microplastics on beaches of three remote Brazilian oceanic islands in the western tropical Atlantic and found particles on two of the three islands, with fragments being the most common type. The presence of microplastics even on these isolated islands confirms that ocean currents carry plastic contamination far from coastal population centers.
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A survey of plastic pollution on beaches of Atlantic Ocean islands from the Azores to Tristan da Cunha found microplastics and macroplastics at all locations, with composition suggesting origin from both local and long-distance ocean transport. The findings confirm that even remote Atlantic islands serve as sinks for globally circulating plastic debris.
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Researchers conducted daily sampling of plastic debris on a remote Maldives island over seven consecutive days and found high spatial and temporal variability in plastic abundance despite the island's remoteness, warning that single-snapshot surveys can produce biased estimates and that future monitoring programs must account for natural fluctuations in deposition.
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