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Widespread microplastics distribution at an Amazon macrotidal sandy beach
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Researchers found widespread microplastic contamination at a macrotidal sandy beach on the Amazon coast of Brazil, detecting an average of 492.5 particles per square meter with fibers dominating across three depth strata down to 60 cm.
Microplastics (MPs) are widespread and cause many impacts, yet their distribution and abundance are unknown for the Amazon coast. We estimated the abundance and distribution of microplastics at a sandy beach on the northern Brazilian coast during April 2014. Sand was collected and analyzed at three depth strata (0-20, 20-40 and 40-60 cm). MPs (250-500, 501-5000 μm) from each depth were sieved and retrieved by flotation when necessary. We found 492.5 ± 556.4 particles m, with fibers comprising up to 95%. The abundance decreased with depth (61.5, 25 and 13.5% from the surface to 40-60 cm) and the deposition zone showed higher densities compared to the erosion zone. Although present in low to moderate abundance, MPs were widespread on the beach. The Amazon coast is an important area for fisheries and traditional communities, and further studies of its potential as a source or sink of MPs are needed.
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Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.