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From macro to micro: dataset on plastic contamination along and across a sandy tide-less coast (the Curonian Spit, the Baltic Sea)
Summary
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.
The contamination by macrolitter (>25 mm), mesolitter (5-25 mm), large microlitter (2-5 mm), large and small microplastics (L-MPs (2-5 mm) and S-MPs (0.5-2 mm), accordingly) in the surface beach sand at 6 locations along the 100-km-long marine coast of the Curonian Spit UNESCO National Park and the neighboring city beaches is quantified. In total, 55 samples obtained during 1-2 May 2018 are analyzed. Primary data is provided, along with exhaustive information on sampling dates and coordinates, sampling methods, extracting procedures, control measures, detection techniques, and μ-Raman spectroscopy verification. The number of items per m and items per kg dry weight (for MPs) is determined separately for fibres, films, and fragments. Distributions by size and plastic type are presented. Standard protocols, a modified NOAA method, and μ-Raman spectroscopy were applied to obtain the data, thus they can be used for comparative analyses.