Measurement of microplastic density in the Karimunjawa National Park, Central Java, Indonesia

Lie S, Suyoko A, Effendi AR, Ahmada B, Aditya HW, Sallima IR, Arisudewi NPAN, Hadid NI, Rahmasari N, Reza A. 2018. Measurement of microplastic density in the Karimunjawa National Park, Central Java, Indonesia. Ocean Life 2: 54-58. Plastic debris enters the marine ecosystem in various sizes, ranging from micrometers to millimeters. Specific densities of plastic particles can vary greatly depending on the type of polymer and the manufacturing process. The highest microplastic density is usually related to the shoreline and circulation of currents in the middle of the sea. Microplastics are then degraded into fragments or particles that are very small and digested by marine biota. In recent years, there have been increasing environmental concerns about microplastics. The purpose of this study was to determine the types of microplastics and their density in the Karimunjawa Island region, and to determine the environmental impact of microplastics. The method used was sediment sampling, with sand samples taken at a depth of 2-5 cm from the sand surface in a plot that was 10 meters away, with another plot in a 50-meter straight line. After that, microplastics were separated from sand samples in the laboratory using saturated saline solution. Next, the microplastics identification process was carried out by differentiating based on color, size, number, and microplastic form or category. In this study, four types of microplastic were found, i.e. fiber, fragment, film, and foam. At Legon Lele Beach and Ujung Gelam, fiber was the most abundant with 111 and 66 particles, respectively. The least in number was film- with 6 particles in Ujung Gelam Beach and 3 particles in Legon Lele Beach.