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Estimation of microplastics in sediments at the southernmost coast of India (Kanyakumari)
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This study estimated microplastic abundance in beach sediments at Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India, finding higher concentrations at harbors and tourist areas compared to residential fishing communities. The results indicate that both recreational activity and harbor operations are significant sources of microplastic accumulation on Indian beaches.
Increasing urbanization and anthropogenic activities of the last couple of decades have left significant amounts of plastic debris in both coastal and marine ecosystems. In this study, we estimated the abundance of microplastics (particle size < 5 mm) in the beach sediments of southernmost India at Kanyakumari by collecting sediments from harbors, coastal fishing villages/residential beaches, tourist beaches, and undisturbed coastal areas along the Indian Ocean. We recovered 343 particles (67% fiber and 33% fragment) from eight different stations by evaluating 50 g dry sediments (d.s.) from each location. All of them were secondary microplastics and most of them (i.e., 331 out of 343 particles) were transparent. Tourist beaches had the highest concentration (150 particles/50 g d.s.), followed by the harbors (99 particles/50 g d.s.). The undisturbed beach contained the least amount of microplastics, representing only 4.3% of the total recovered particles. Our study relates the abundance of microplastics to different degrees of anthropogenic activities. Further research, however, is required to identify the mechanism that influenced their transport and deposition in the coastal sediments as well as to evaluate the possible interaction between microplastic particles and marine ecosystems.
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Researchers conducted the first baseline study of microplastic pollution in beach sediments at Marina and Pattinapakkam beaches in Chennai, India. They identified an average of 459 and 297 microplastic particles at the two sites respectively, with polyethylene being the dominant polymer type. The study suggests that both human activities and natural coastal processes contribute to microplastic accumulation at these popular tourist beaches.
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Researchers quantified microplastic contamination across 25 beaches along the Maharashtra coast of India, finding widespread pollution with significant variation between sites. They identified microplastic concentrations correlated with anthropogenic activities near each sampling location. The study provides baseline data on coastal microplastic pollution in this densely populated region and highlights the connection between human activity and beach contamination levels.
Microplastic Pollution, A Threat to Human Health: A Case Study at Thoothukudi, South India
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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.