We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Microplastic Debris in the Beach Sediments of the Kanyakumari Coast, India: Insights on Pollution Load and Environmental Stress Index
Summary
Researchers surveyed beaches along India's Kanyakumari coast and found an average of 1,120 microplastic particles per kilogram of sediment, with fragments and fibers dominant, and a clear link between higher levels of human activity and greater microplastic abundance. The findings quantify pollution load at a heavily visited coastal region, highlighting how anthropogenic activity directly drives microplastic accumulation in nearshore environments.
This study aims to study the occurrence, distribution and assessment of degree of MPs contamination using pollution load and environmental stress index of microplastics (MPs) along the beaches of Kanyakumari district, India. The average abundance of MPs in the study area is 1120 ± 318 MPs/kg with an abundant size range of < 0.5 mm. Fragments and fibres are the dominant shapes of MPs. White-coloured MPs are abundant, followed by yellow and orange, indicating their secondary origin. One-way ANOVA suggests that there exists a significant relationship between the number of anthropogenic activities carried out on the beach and the MP’s abundance. Polyester (PES), Polyethylene (PE), Polystyrene (PS), Polyvinyl Chloride and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) are the most abundant polymer types. Based on the Coefficient of MPs Pollution Impact (CMPI), it is inferred that fragment and fibre-shaped MPs have moderate to maximum impact on the beach environment. The Pollution Load Index (PLI) and Environmental Status Index (ESI) calculation, suggest that the study area is under less load and mediocre stress index category respectively.