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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.
Microplastic occurrence and composition were investigated along the Polish coast (southern Baltic Sea) on 12 beaches differing in terms of intensity of their touristic exploitation, urbanisation and sediment characteristics. Their mean concentrations varied between 76 and 295 items per kg dry sediment. Fibres and plastic fragments were the dominant microplastic types. Overall, no relationship was found between their concentrations and sediment characteristics. Fine sediments were not identified as microplastic pollution traps. The highest microplastic concentrations were recorded at some urban beaches indicating that population density and the level of coastal infrastructure development are important factors affecting microplastic pollution level on beaches. On the other hand, microplastic concentrations in national parks did not differ substantially from the other beaches. Our results suggest that sediment accumulation processes may exceed microplastic accumulation, and overcome the effect of tourism and/or urbanisation, highlighting the role of the beach hydrodynamic status in structuring beach microplastic pollution.
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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.
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Sediment samples from beaches in the southeastern Baltic Sea (Kaliningrad region) were analyzed for microplastic content between mid-2015 and early 2016. The study characterized the types and quantities of plastic fragments (0.5-5 mm) at beaches with high anthropogenic influence.
Accumulation of Plastic Fragments and Microplastics on the Beaches in the South-east Baltic Sea
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Seasonal beach surveys along the Kaliningrad coast of the southeastern Baltic Sea found plastic fragments and microplastics (0.5–5 mm) in sediments, with higher concentrations at beaches most exposed to anthropogenic pollution sources.
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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.