Papers

61,005 results
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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)
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and Characterization of Microplastics in Coastal Beach Sand: Insights from a Case Study at Praia Vermelha, Brazil

Researchers developed and validated a standardised protocol for collecting, processing, and characterising microplastics in beach sands at Praia Vermelha in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, using flotation extraction and systematic sampling to demonstrate the methodology's effectiveness for identifying microplastics from coastal plastic waste disposal.

2025 Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências
Article Tier 2

Meso- and microplastic composition, distribution patterns and drivers: A snapshot of plastic pollution on Brazilian beaches

A standardized survey of plastic pollution across 22 sandy beaches spanning over 4600 km of Brazilian coast found widespread contamination in coastal sediments, with polymer type, size, and distribution patterns reflecting diverse sources including fishing activity and urban runoff.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Widespread microplastics distribution at an Amazon macrotidal sandy beach

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.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 75 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in brazilian marine environments: a study on beaches in São Francisco do Sul - SC

Beach surveys along São Francisco do Sul in southern Brazil confirmed widespread microplastic presence in coastal sediments, with polymer composition reflecting regional plastic waste streams. The study adds to the body of evidence that Brazilian coastlines are significantly contaminated and calls for national monitoring standards to track and manage the problem.

2023 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Microplastic occurrence, distribution, and zonation at Paraná’s beaches—South of Brazil

Researchers conducted the first survey of microplastic distribution and zonation on beaches in Paraná state, southern Brazil, characterizing MP concentrations, polymer types, and morphologies across multiple beach zones to establish a baseline for this understudied South American coastline.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution across the Brazilian coastline: Evidence from the MICROMar project, the largest coastal survey in the Global South

As part of Brazil's MICROMar project, researchers analysed 4,134 samples from 1,024 beaches along approximately 7,500 km of Brazilian coastline to produce the largest standardised coastal microplastic survey in the Global South. Microplastics were found ubiquitously, with concentration patterns linked to population density, coastal morphology, and river inputs.

2025 Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

Abundance and characterization of microplastics on sandy beaches along the coastal area of Belize

Researchers quantified and characterized microplastic abundance on sandy beaches along the coastal zone of Belize, establishing baseline contamination data for a region of Central America and the Caribbean where such pollution assessments are critically lacking.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Contaminação Por Microplásticos Em Praias Arenosas No Brasil: Uma Revisão Sistemática

This review systematically examines microplastic contamination studies on sandy beaches across Brazil, covering publications from the first Brazilian study in 2009 onward and identifying that sediment (76% of studies), water (12%), and biota (12%) are the primary compartments investigated. The review finds tourism, fishing, and river discharge as the main microplastic sources, and identifies significant methodological gaps that limit cross-study comparisons.

2023 Oecologia Australis 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization of environmental microplastics present in unconsolidated sediments in coastal waters of 9 beaches on shoreline of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Researchers characterized environmental microplastics in unconsolidated sediments from nine beaches along the southern coast of Brazil, identifying particle abundance, morphology, color, and polymer composition. The study documented widespread microplastic contamination at all sampled coastal sites, with fragments and fibers being the dominant morphological types found in the sediment samples.

2024 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics on Santos Beach: Sources of Pollution, Waste Characteristics and Possible Collection Solutions

Researchers characterized microplastics collected from three zones of Santos beach in Brazil, finding contamination dominated by fragments and films near sewage outfalls. The study highlights inadequate waste management as the primary driver of beach microplastic accumulation and assessed feasibility of mechanical collection interventions.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Rethinking the Environmental Quality of Brazilian Beaches: The Incidence of Microplastics as Indicator for Sea Water and Sand Quality

This paper proposes using microplastic levels in beach sand and seawater as indicators of beach environmental quality, arguing that current assessments in Brazil focus too narrowly on microbial contamination. The authors present evidence that microplastic contamination poses health risks to swimmers and coastal communities that should be incorporated into beach quality standards.

2020 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Caracterização de microplásticos em amostras marinhas e estuarinas

This study characterized microplastics collected from marine and estuarine samples in Brazil, classifying them by size, shape, and polymer type. The findings document the widespread presence of microplastic contamination in these coastal ecosystems and provide baseline data for future monitoring.

2021
Article Tier 2

Contaminação e toxicidade de microplásticos em uma área de proteção marinha costeira

This Brazilian study assessed microplastic contamination and toxicity in a coastal marine protected area, finding that sandy beaches accumulate plastic particles carried in by the ocean. The research highlights that even protected coastal zones are not immune to microplastic pollution, which can be ingested by marine wildlife and enter food webs.

2016 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and distribution of microplastics at selected coastal sites along the southeastern United States

Researchers quantified microplastics in beach sand at 18 U.S. National Park beaches in the Southeast and built a model to predict how ocean currents transport plastic debris. The study provides a baseline for plastic contamination even in protected coastal areas and highlights how distant pollution sources can affect remote beaches.

2017 The Science of The Total Environment 228 citations
Article Tier 2

An assessment of microplastic contamination in beach sediment of Maharashtra State, India, with special reference to anthropogenic activities

Researchers quantified microplastic contamination across 25 beaches along the Maharashtra coast of India, finding widespread pollution with significant variation between sites. They identified microplastic concentrations correlated with anthropogenic activities near each sampling location. The study provides baseline data on coastal microplastic pollution in this densely populated region and highlights the connection between human activity and beach contamination levels.

2024 Water Environment Research 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in Brazil's coastal marine surface waters: The first macroregional baseline from the global south

Researchers conducted the largest microplastic survey in the Global South, sampling 4,134 surface water sites across 7,500 km of Brazilian coastline, finding the highest concentrations in the Eastern Coastline (16.87 MPs/L) and lowest in the Amazonian Equatorial region (1.29 MPs/L), with spatial patterns driven by hydrodynamic conditions, salinity, proximity to sewage, and anthropogenic inputs.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Contamination on the Beaches of South China

Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination across 14 beaches along the South China coast, finding microplastics ubiquitously present in sandy sediments, predominantly as small fragments under 1 mm, with distribution patterns linked to coastal urbanization and ocean current dynamics.

2022 Frontiers in Marine Science 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution, characteristics and short-term variability of microplastics in beach sediment of Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, Brazil

Researchers conducted daily beach sediment sampling on Fernando de Noronha Archipelago in Brazil, documenting large spatial and temporal variability in microplastic concentrations (0.6-1,059 particles/m) and finding that remote island beaches are not protected from microplastic contamination.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as contaminants in the Brazilian environment: an updated review

A comprehensive review of 79 Brazilian microplastic studies published between 2018 and 2022 found microplastics widespread across marine and terrestrial environments, with marine coastal studies dominating the literature and polyethylene and polypropylene fragments being the most common types detected. The review highlights significant gaps in inland and atmospheric monitoring and a lack of standardized methods that hinders cross-study comparisons — critical issues for a country with one of the world's longest coastlines and major river systems.

2023 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics on Santos Beach: Sources of Pollution, Waste Characteristics and Possible Collection Solutions

This Brazilian study mapped and characterized microplastic contamination on Santos beach near submarine sewage outfalls and storm drains, finding plastic pollution hotspots linked to coastal discharge infrastructure. The authors estimated that ~60 tons of solid waste enter the sea daily in the region and identified possible collection solutions.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution on sandy beaches of Puerto Rico

Researchers sampled sand from six northern beaches of Puerto Rico to determine microplastic abundance and composition, documenting the extent of microplastic pollution on Caribbean island coastal beaches that are considered biodiversity hotspots.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Pollution by microplastic in highly crowded sandy beaches in Lima, Peru

Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination at three heavily visited sandy beaches in Lima, Peru, finding fragments and fibers of polypropylene and polyethylene as the most common particles, with abundance varying by season and beach characteristics.

2023 Environmental Quality Management 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of microplastic pollution in sand beach from SW Atlantic coast (Argentina) using a regional harmonized method.

Researchers assessed microplastic pollution on sand beaches of the SW Atlantic coast of Argentina using a regionally harmonised sampling and analysis method, characterising particle morphology, colour, size, and polymer type in a country that produces over 1.16 million tons of plastic annually. The study aimed to identify sources and fate of beach microplastics and establish a standardised baseline for future regional monitoring.

2025