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Assessment of the total microplastic stock in the eastern red sea
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Researchers assessed the total microplastic stock in the eastern Red Sea by collecting sediment and water column samples from the Farasan area, addressing the limited attention this region has received despite rapid urbanization, tourism development, and critical shipping routes. The study characterized microplastic levels, distribution patterns, and polymer types in a unique marine ecosystem ahead of new international plastic pollution regulations.
The Red Sea received limited attention in terms of plastic pollution research compared to other areas and vital shipping routes. With rapidly increasing urbanization and tourism development in the region and the upcoming international legally binding mechanisms to mitigate plastic pollution, it is essential to examine the level, distribution, and potential effects of plastics in the unique Red Sea ecosystem. Sediment and water column samples were collected in the Eastern Red Sea, from the Farasan Islands to the Gulf of Aqaba, during the Red Sea Decade Expedition (RSDE) between February and June 2022. Sixty sediment samples were collected using cores installed on the remotely operated vehicle. One hundred forty-five water column samples were collected using a CTD-rosette sampler with installed automatically closing bottle-net devices containing a 20-µm nylon mesh. Independent bathy-, meso-, and epipelagic layer samples were obtained by vertical hauls of the rosette. The samples were processed in the laboratory, and the post-treatment residue was collected on glass microfiber filters. After visual identification and manual collection of suspected microplastics, the particles were subjected to Raman spectroscopy. Preliminary results showed the prevalence of fibers (57 Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/556724/document
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Assessment of the total microplastic stock in the eastern red sea
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Researchers assessed microplastic distribution in the Eastern Red Sea from the Farasan Islands to the Gulf of Aqaba during the 2022 Red Sea Decade Expedition, collecting 60 sediment core samples via remotely operated vehicle and 145 water column samples across bathypelagic, mesopelagic, and epipelagic layers. The study addressed a major data gap for this underinvestigated but ecologically significant region with rapidly expanding urbanisation and tourism.
Microplastic in the marine environment of the Red Sea – A short review
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Researchers review the growing body of evidence on microplastic pollution in the Red Sea, where studies conducted over the past five years reveal significant contamination in the water, sediments, and marine life. This matters because the Red Sea supports major fisheries and tourism, and microplastics that accumulate in seafood can ultimately reach humans who eat it.
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Researchers conducted a comprehensive assessment of plastic pollution across multiple environmental compartments of the Red Sea — including surface water, the water column, and deep-sea sediments — finding that deep-sea sediments hold up to 80% of microplastics in the basin and that subsurface water layers act as significant reservoirs, complicating global microplastic load estimates based solely on surface water data.
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This review assessed marine litter in the Red Sea using a structured framework and found that the ecosystem faces growing threats from both land-based and sea-based plastic sources, despite limited regional research. The authors call for stronger regional and national policy responses to protect the Red Sea's unique biodiversity from plastic contamination.
Quantifying microplastics pollution in the Red Sea and Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba: Insights from chemical analysis and pollution load assessment
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This first comprehensive survey of microplastic pollution along Egyptian Red Sea shores found mostly low to medium levels of plastic contamination, with a marine protected area (Ras Mohamed) showing surprisingly high vulnerability. All particles were secondary fragments of weathered plastic, primarily polyethylene and polypropylene, linked mainly to maritime cargo and recreational boat traffic rather than land-based waste. The findings fill a significant geographic gap in global microplastic monitoring and highlight tourism and shipping as key management targets in this ecologically sensitive and endemic-rich region.
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