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Textural characteristics and abundance of microplastics in the Nethravati river estuary sediments, south-west Mangalore beach, India
Summary
This study characterized microplastics in sediments from the Nethravati River estuary and adjacent beach in southwest India, finding that fibers made up 96% of all particles and polyamide (nylon) was the dominant polymer type at 60%. Secondary microplastics — fragments from the breakdown of larger plastic items — were far more common than primary microplastics. The study highlights how rivers funnel microplastic pollution into coastal zones where it accumulates and threatens marine biodiversity.
Microplastics commonly enter the world's sea through rivers and estuaries. Yet somehow, very little is known about what happens to plastic waste in estuaries. This study provides important information on the Microplastics (MP's) distribution and features in the Nethravati estuary. The present level of knowledge on microplastic trash dispersal in estuaries and their intertidal ecosystems. The MPs identified in this were classified as: source (Primary and secondary MPs), size < 1000 ?m (78%), followed by >1000 ?m (22%), color (coloured plastic (32%) and white plastic (68%), shape (fibre (96%), beads (3%), fragment (1%). The polymer types detected are Polyamide (60%), polyethylene (33%), followed by polypropylene (5%) and polystyrene (2%). We observed that secondary MPs were the most often recovered microplastics in 22 samples, indicating that primary microplastics had been destroyed by photo-degradation, chemical degradation, and biological degradation. According to the FTIR study, polyamide and polyethylene were the most common microplastics, followed by polystyrene and polypropylene. Future research to track MPs abundance along the Netravati estuary's shoreline can utilize the results of this study as guidelines. The best methods to prevent the abundance of MPs in estuary sediments are to manage solid wastes properly, implement laws, and spread awareness about the cause of MPs to the ecosystem.