Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Is the weight of plastic litter correlated with vegetal wrack? A case study from a Central Italian beach

Researchers found that vegetal wrack on a central Italian beach acts as a trap for plastic litter, with large microplastics (2.5-5 mm) being the most abundant size category, suggesting plant material entrapment plays a role in coastal plastic accumulation.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial distribution of macro- and micro-litter items along rocky and sandy beaches of a Marine Protected Area in the western Mediterranean Sea

Macro- and micro-litter were mapped across rocky and sandy beaches within a marine protected area in the Balearic Islands, finding a mean macrolitter concentration of about 1.9 items per square meter and widespread microplastic presence in sandy sediments. Plastic fragments and films were the dominant litter categories, highlighting recreational pressure even in protected coastal areas.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 48 citations
Article Tier 2

Changes in (micro and macro) plastic pollution in the sediment of three sandy beaches in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, in relation to seasonality, beach use and granulometry

Researchers measured plastic and microplastic pollution in sediment from three Mediterranean beaches across seasons, finding that smaller microplastics accumulate at the backshore while larger items concentrate near the waterline. Seasonal patterns and beach use intensity affected plastic abundance, with implications for beach management and cleanup strategies.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Anthropogenic Litter on Beaches With Different Levels of Development and Use: A Snapshot of a Coast in Pernambuco (Brazil)

Beach litter was surveyed at nine sites in northeastern Brazil, finding plastic dominated at all beach types but with differences in litter composition linked to local activities. Characterizing litter sources at specific beaches is essential for targeted waste reduction policies.

2018 Frontiers in Marine Science 76 citations
Article Tier 2

The generation of marine litter in Mediterranean island beaches as an effect of tourism and its mitigation

This study examined how tourism drives marine litter accumulation on Mediterranean island beaches, finding that tourist season dramatically increases litter loads. The authors evaluated mitigation strategies and found that active beach cleaning combined with visitor education can significantly reduce plastic accumulation in these heavily visited coastal ecosystems.

2021 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution and Composition of Beach Litter along the Ionian Coastline of Albania

Researchers documented the distribution and composition of beach litter along the Ionian coastline of Albania, finding that plastics dominated debris and that spatial variation reflected proximity to urban centers and fishing activity.

2024 Water 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Relationships between plastic litter and chemical pollutants on benthic biodiversity

A coastal area in Sicily was assessed for marine litter, chemical pollutants, and non-native species simultaneously, finding that plastic debris was associated with reduced benthic biodiversity. The combined presence of plastics and chemical pollutants on the seafloor poses multiple simultaneous threats to marine ecosystems.

2018 Environmental Pollution 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic beaching dependence on sediment grain size

Researchers sampled microplastics across a Mediterranean protected beach and found that accumulation is strongly influenced by sediment grain size — fine-grained sands trap more surface microplastics due to lower infiltration capacity — while fiber shape promotes entanglement in sediment pores and proximity to tourism and port activities drives spatial pollution hotspots.

2026 Frontiers in Water
Article Tier 2

Unveiling coastal pollution: A multi-technology approach to micro and macro litter assessment for the environmental characterization of beaches

Researchers conducted a multi-technology environmental characterization of a Mediterranean beach in southern Italy, simultaneously measuring microplastic density and beach litter composition using innovative low-impact procedures, providing a replicable framework for assessing combined micro-to-macro plastic pollution in coastal environments.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the relationship between urbanization and plastic litter on sandy beaches in California, USA

A survey of 23 beaches along the California coast found that plastic litter abundance increased significantly with urbanization, as measured by surrounding population density.

2024 Regional Studies in Marine Science 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Factors driving the abundance and distribution of microplastics on sandy beaches in a Southwest Atlantic seaside resort

Researchers investigated factors driving microplastic abundance on sandy beaches along the Southwest Atlantic coast, finding that both natural forces like wave energy and anthropogenic inputs influenced the distribution of fiber and fragment microplastics in surface sediments.

2021 Marine Environmental Research 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of beach litter pollution in Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco: a study of macro and meso-litter on Mediterranean beaches

Researchers surveyed 37 Mediterranean beaches in Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia for plastic litter, finding that urban and tourist beaches were most heavily polluted, with macro-litter averaging over 5,000 pieces per 100 meters. The study also developed a faster, cost-effective monitoring method and concluded that beach cleaning alone cannot solve the problem — better waste management and public awareness are essential.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 23 citations
Article Tier 2

What influences microplastic trapping in coastal marshes? Exploring vegetation diversity as a driver of accumulation

This study explored how the diversity of plant species in coastal marshes influences how many microplastics get trapped there, finding that vegetation composition is a meaningful driver of plastic accumulation. Coastal marshes act as natural filters catching plastic before it reaches the open ocean, so understanding what makes them more or less effective has implications for both conservation and plastic pollution management.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

What, where, and when: Spatial-temporal distribution of macro-litter on the seafloor of the western and central Mediterranean sea

Using fishery-independent monitoring data from the western Mediterranean, this study characterized the spatial and temporal distribution of macro-litter on the seafloor, identifying accumulation hotspots to guide marine litter management efforts.

2023 Environmental Pollution 17 citations
Article Tier 2

What influences microplastic trapping in coastal marshes? Exploring vegetation diversity as a driver of accumulation

This study explored how the diversity of plant species in coastal marshes influences how many microplastics get trapped there, finding that vegetation composition is a meaningful driver of plastic accumulation. Coastal marshes act as natural filters catching plastic before it reaches the open ocean, so understanding what makes them more or less effective has implications for both conservation and plastic pollution management.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Litter assessment on sandy beaches along the Brazilian coast: a large-scale analysis of macrolitter and microplastics

Researchers conducted a large-scale assessment of macrolitter and microplastic contamination on sandy beaches along the Brazilian coast, characterizing pollution patterns, dominant polymer types, and potential anthropogenic sources across multiple sites.

2025 Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (Universidade de São Paulo)