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Microplastics pollution on Colombian Central Caribbean beaches

Marine Pollution Bulletin 2021 133 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 50 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Victoria A. Arana, Anubis Vélez-Mendoza, A. T. Williams, Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Victoria A. Arana, Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Victoria A. Arana, Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Anubis Vélez-Mendoza, Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Harry Arroyo-Olarte, William J. Neal, Adriana Gracia, Adriana Gracia, Victoria A. Arana, Victoria A. Arana, Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Victoria A. Arana, Jorge Trilleras, Victoria A. Arana, Jorge Trilleras, Jorge Trilleras, Victoria A. Arana, Victoria A. Arana, Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Jorge Trilleras, Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Victoria A. Arana, William J. Neal, William J. Neal, William J. Neal, Victoria A. Arana, Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Victoria A. Arana, Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Jorge Trilleras, Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Victoria A. Arana, Victoria A. Arana, Victoria A. Arana, William J. Neal, Victoria A. Arana, Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Jorge Trilleras, Victoria A. Arana, Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Jorge Trilleras, Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Victoria A. Arana, Nelson Rangel-Buitrago William J. Neal, Egna Mantilla-Barbosa, Egna Mantilla-Barbosa, Jorge Trilleras, Jorge Trilleras, Jorge Trilleras, Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Adriana Gracia, Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Jorge Trilleras, Jorge Trilleras, Jorge Trilleras, Anubis Vélez-Mendoza, Nelson Rangel-Buitrago William J. Neal, A. T. Williams, Anton Micallef, Anton Micallef, Victoria A. Arana, Victoria A. Arana, Nelson Rangel-Buitrago

Summary

Researchers conducted a baseline survey of microplastic contamination on Colombia's Central Caribbean Coast beaches, documenting MP types, sizes, and polymer compositions for the first time in that region and finding primarily secondary microplastics from fragmented larger debris.

The growing literature on microplastics (MPs) in coastal and marine environs reflects the seriousness of this pollutant category. Diverse litter studies on Colombia's Central Caribbean Coast have not presented detailed study of MPs' typology, magnitude or distribution. This baseline study presents for first time the MPs problem on 23 beaches in 75 km coastal reach between Punta Roca and Galerazamba, on the central Colombian Caribbean Coast. The Microplastics Pollution Index (MPPI) and Coefficient of Microplastic Impact (CMPI) were developed and applied along with the Environmental Status Index (ESI) and their integration through sector analysis, and mapping using Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering and Multidimensional Scaling, and Principal Components Analysis. Microplastics abundances (densities) ranged from 2457 to 557 MPs/kg, similar to other global beaches and bays. The MPs Index for the 23 beaches classified 8 beaches as "Moderate," 10 beaches as "High" and 5 as "Very High." Microplastic fibers were the dominant typology at 83% of the combined beaches total (ranging from Moderate to Very High for individual beaches).

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