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Identifying opportunities for harmonized microplastics and mesoplastics monitoring for Caribbean Small Island Developing States using a spatiotemporal assessment of beaches in South Eleuthera, The Bahamas
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Researchers assessed microplastic and mesoplastic pollution across 16 beaches with different coastal exposures in the Bahamas, finding that microplastics were the dominant debris type at 74 percent of samples, with significant differences between locations and seasons. The study highlights that Caribbean Small Island Developing States lack standardized monitoring protocols for microplastic pollution, leaving them without the data needed to participate effectively in global treaty negotiations. The findings point toward opportunities for developing harmonized monitoring approaches across the Caribbean region.
Increasing quantities of microplastics and mesoplastics in the marine environment underscore the need for marine microplastics to be included in the global Plastics Treaty to end plastic pollution. Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) lack harmonized microplastics monitoring protocols, leaving them data deficient at the science-policy interface required for treaty negotiations. This baseline study assessed spatial and seasonal abundance and distribution of microplastic (1-5 mm) and mesoplastic (5-25 mm) on 16 beaches with three coastal exposures (Atlantic Ocean, Exuma Sound, Bahama Bank) in South Eleuthera, The Bahamas and its implications for Caribbean SIDS. Microplastics were the dominant debris type sampled (74 %) across all beaches, with significant spatial (p = 0.0005) and seasonal (p = 0.0363) differences in abundance and distribution across study sites. This baseline study identifies opportunities required for developing harmonized microplastics and mesoplastics monitoring by Caribbean SIDS to collect data to help support global plastics treaty negotiations.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.