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Evaluation of Microplastics in Beach Sands on Isle of Man
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Researchers evaluated microplastic contamination in beach sands on the Isle of Man, finding plastic particles capable of releasing harmful chemicals into coastal environments. Beach contamination is significant because it indicates ongoing fragmentation of larger plastics and potential exposure pathways for coastal communities and marine life.
Plastics have become ubiquitous environmental pollutants that can release harmf...
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Toward a Method of Assessing Microplastic Accumulation in Beach Sand Deposits
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Researchers tested four saline density separation solutions to develop a low-cost method for extracting and quantifying microplastics from beach sand, achieving recovery rates of 61–78% for coarse particles across six plastic types. Standardizing affordable extraction methods is a critical step toward generating comparable microplastic concentration data across global beach environments.
A Procedure for Isolating Microplastic Particles Based on Evaluation of Coastal Dune Sands from Sandy Neck Beach, Barnstable, Massachusetts
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Researchers developed a standardized method using the fluorescent dye Nile Red and zinc chloride density separation to isolate and identify microplastics from beach dune sand, finding microplastics at all nine sampling sites at Sandy Neck Beach — indicating plastic contamination extends from ocean shores into coastal terrestrial environments.
Developing a Reliable Method for Separating Microplastics from a Variety of Beach Sediments
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Researchers tested and refined a method for separating microplastics from beach sediments using dry sieving combined with density separation, finding that treating different sediment size fractions separately improved recovery and reduced filter clogging, making it easier to detect microplastics across a wide range of particle sizes.
Prevalence and Distribution of Microplastics on Two Barrier Islands in Georgia
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Researchers surveyed microplastic prevalence in water and sediment samples from two Georgia barrier islands with contrasting levels of human development, with preliminary results from the more pristine island already showing microfibers and microparticles, particularly concentrated in beach habitats.
Microplastic Accumulation Patterns in Sand at Three Hawaiian Beaches
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Microplastics were found at all sampled shore zones across three Hawaiian beaches, with fibers dominating at every site and concentrations highest at established beaches compared to a newly formed volcanic beach. The detection of microplastics even in newly created sediment just four months after beach formation suggests that ocean currents rapidly redistribute plastic contamination to any available coastline.
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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.