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Three-dimensional distribution of plastic pellets in sandy beaches: shifting paradigms
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Researchers dug up to 2 meters deep in sandy beaches near a river mouth in Spain and found plastic pellets at all depths, with surface layers holding less than 10% of the total subsurface abundance. The finding reveals that surface sampling dramatically underestimates beach plastic contamination and that pellets accumulate at depth through hydrodynamic burial processes.
Plastic pellets are worldwide contaminants that accumulate in the ocean, especially in sandy beaches, where their historic standing-stock quantification relies on surface sediment samples. We demonstrated these particles present a three-dimensional instead of a simple along-across shore distribution, being found as deep as 2.0 m, with surface layers accounting for <10% of the total abundance in the sediment column. This gradient seemed to be more related to oceanographic rather than anthropic processes, suggesting a general pattern whose applicability to microplastics and sedimentary environments as a whole should be investigated. This poses criticism in the exactness of standing-stock records and demands urgent discussion of sampling protocols.
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Three-dimensional evaluation of beaches of oceanic islands as reservoirs of plastic particles in the open ocean.
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This study investigated the three-dimensional distribution of plastic in beach sediment on three oceanic islands by sampling deeper than surface layers, finding that focusing only on the surface significantly underestimates total plastic standing stocks. The findings suggest that current estimates of beach plastic pollution are conservative and that plastics are being buried in the substrate over time.
Buried Plastic Pollution and Fragmentation Dynamics in Coastal Zones: Insights from Hawaiian Beaches
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Researchers surveyed buried plastic pollution down to 1 meter depth on Hawaiian beaches, which receive disproportionate plastic input due to proximity to the North Pacific Garbage Patch, characterizing the abundance and fragmentation dynamics of subsurface plastic particles to better understand long-term plastic accumulation and degradation in beach environments.
Revealing accumulation zones of plastic pellets in sandy beaches
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Researchers evaluated plastic pellet accumulation across 13 sandy beaches in São Paulo state, Brazil, using transects and vertical sediment profiles to one meter depth, identifying regional accumulation hotspots near ports and factories and finding that coastal dunes accumulated more pellets than backshores, with most concentrated in the top 40 cm.
Vertical Distribution and Composition of Plastics in Coastal Areas of the Gulf of Cádiz: Insights into Transport Dynamics
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Researchers measured plastic distribution across the surface water, subsurface, water column, and sediment of the Gulf of Cádiz coast using high-resolution vertical sampling. The highest concentrations were found in sediments (97.9%), with water column concentrations decreasing exponentially with depth, illuminating vertical transport dynamics.
Differences in the Fate of Surface and Subsurface Microplastics: A Case Study in the Central Atlantic
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Researchers studied microplastic distribution in the Central Atlantic and found that surface and subsurface samples differ not only in particle size but also in morphology, polymer types, abundance, and spatial distribution, driven by distinct hydrodynamic processes at the sea surface versus a few meters below.
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.