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Invisible Footprints: Exploring Microplastic Pollution in the Colombian Caribbean Sea
Summary
Researchers documented microplastic contamination throughout the surface and mid-waters of the Colombian Caribbean, detecting plastic particles in every single water sample collected across 16 stations in two departments. Concentrations were higher near the coast and in areas with strong river influence, with fibers and fragments of PET and polypropylene most common, and several rare high-risk polymers also detected. As one of the first systematic studies of its kind in this region, the work establishes baseline data for a relatively understudied stretch of the Caribbean and identifies urban river inputs as a key contamination driver.
Microplastic (MP) pollution poses a significant and emerging threat to global marine ecosystems; however, regional data for the Caribbean remain limited. This study presents a spatial and temporal characterization of MPs in surface and mid-waters of the Colombian Caribbean (Atlántico and Magdalena departments), which were analyzed as independent compartments due to methodological differences in sampling strategies. Sixteen sampling stations were established across two anthropogenic influence zones: Zone 1 (nearshore/bather zone) and Zone 2 (offshore). MPs were quantified and characterized according to shape, color, size, and polymer composition using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (µATR-FTIR) and multivariate techniques. MPs were detected in 100% of samples. Surface water MP abundance was higher in Magdalena (4.5 MPs m−3) than in Atlántico (1.7 MPs m−3). Mid-water MP concentrations reached maximum values during the high rainfall season in Atlántico, reflecting localized hydrological and anthropogenic influences rather than vertical gradients. Higher concentrations were generally observed in the nearshore Zone 1 compared to offshore Zone 2, although these differences were not consistently statistically significant. Fibers and fragments were the predominant shapes, and synthetic–natural polymer blends, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), and polyacrylic acid (PAA) were the most prevalent. Generalized Additive Models (GAM) indicated that strong fluvial inputs and proximity to urban and riverine sources were factors driving MP distribution. Additionally, the detection of polymers reported in the literature as rare and high-risk, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA), styrene–ethylene–butylene–styrene (SEBS), and polyvinyl stearate (PVS), highlights the complexity of MP sources in the region. Overall, these results provide the first spatial and temporal characterization of MPs in the surface and mid-water of the Colombian Caribbean and identify critical contamination hotspots that warrant targeted mitigation strategies.
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