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Microplastic contamination of sandy beaches of national parks, protected and recreational areas in southern parts of the Baltic Sea
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Researchers found microplastic contamination in all 51 surface beach sand samples across seven sites along the southern Baltic Sea, including national park and protected areas, at a mean of 68 items/kg dry weight. Expanded polystyrene fragments were the most common type (~38%), and protected areas did not differ substantially from recreational beaches.
The distribution of small (0.5-2 mm, S-MPs) and large (2-5 mm, L-MPs) microplastics and mesoplastic particles in 51 samples of surface beach sands at 7 locations along the southern shore of the Baltic Sea was investigated. MPs particles (3267 in total) were found at all the sites and in all the beach zones. The bulk mean MPs (0.5-5 mm) contamination is 68 ± 117 (median 33) items/kg DW (n = 51). The results were confirmed by μ-Raman spectroscopy analysis. National park areas did not differ substantially from other beaches. Expanded polystyrene fragments accounted for about 38% of the total collected particles. Fibres were the predominant type of MPs (55%). The highest contamination was found within the current wrack line (60.1 ± 36.6 items/kg DW of S-MPs). A consistent picture for S-MPs was observed at the beach face, where the mean values in different locations varied between 21.0 and 58.1 items/kg DW, with a bulk mean of 30.4 ± 13.7 items/kg DW.
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Plastic contamination of sandy beaches along the southern Baltic – a one season field survey results
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Researchers surveyed microplastic and macroplastic contamination along the Polish Baltic Sea coast, finding microplastic concentrations of 118–1,382 pieces/kg in beach sand and 0.61–2.76 pieces/dm3 in coastal waters, with sub-1 mm blue fibers dominating across all sites and suggesting a common fibrous source throughout the Polish coastal zone.
Study of microplastic occurrence on the sandy beaches of Šventoji, Lithuania
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Researchers found significant microplastic contamination on the sandy beaches of Šventoji, Lithuania, with concentrations ranging from 85 to 325 particles per kilogram of dry sediment — among the highest reported for the Baltic Sea. Fibres and fragments dominated, with most particles being smaller than 1 mm.
Microplastics on sandy beaches of the southern Baltic Sea
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Microplastics were detected on all 12 beaches along the Polish Baltic coast at concentrations of 76 to 295 items per kilogram of sediment, with fibers and fragments dominant and no strong relationship to sediment grain size. Urban beaches had the highest concentrations, though beach hydrodynamics also played a significant role in structuring local microplastic distribution.
Plastic pollution on the Baltic beaches of Kaliningrad region, Russia
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Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination on Baltic Sea beaches in Russia's Kaliningrad region between 2015 and 2016, finding 1.3 to 36.3 items per kg dry sediment with foamed plastic predominating, and detecting no clear difference in contamination levels between high- and low-traffic beach sites.
From macro to micro: dataset on plastic contamination along and across a sandy tide-less coast (the Curonian Spit, the Baltic Sea)
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This dataset documents the distribution and abundance of plastic litter across size classes — from macroplastic to microplastic — on beaches of the Curonian Spit UNESCO Reserve in the Baltic Sea. The data provide a baseline for tracking plastic pollution in a sensitive protected coastal environment.
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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.