Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Plastic litter pollution along sandy beaches in the Caribbean and Pacific coast of Colombia

Researchers surveyed plastic litter pollution on 43 beaches along Colombia's Caribbean and Pacific coasts, documenting the types and quantities present and calling for locally adapted management strategies.

2020 Environmental Pollution 116 citations
Article Tier 2

Temporal variability of plastic litter in two sand beaches of San Andres Island, Colombian Caribbean

Beach surveys on San Andres Island in the Colombian Caribbean over three seasons found that microplastic fragments dominated plastic litter across both beaches, with the highest totals occurring during the dry season. The seasonal and spatial patterns suggest that ocean currents and tourism activity both contribute to contamination, and the findings highlight ongoing plastic pollution pressures on a biodiverse Caribbean island ecosystem.

2024 Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics pollution on Colombian Central Caribbean beaches

Researchers conducted a baseline survey of microplastic contamination on Colombia's Central Caribbean Coast beaches, documenting MP types, sizes, and polymer compositions for the first time in that region and finding primarily secondary microplastics from fragmented larger debris.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 133 citations
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

Novel methodology approach for assessing microplastic distribution in marine habitats along the Spanish Western Mediterranean coast

Researchers developed an innovative integrative methodology to assess spatiotemporal variation in microplastic abundance across sea surface and sediment habitats along the Spanish Western Mediterranean coast from 2017 to 2024, characterising distribution patterns at multiple spatial scales.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Spatial distribution and increase of microplastics over time in sediments of Buenaventura Bay, Colombian Pacific

Microplastic concentrations in sediment cores from Buenaventura Bay in Colombia increased substantially over time from the 1980s to the present, with depth profiles reflecting the history of regional plastic use, and current surface sediment concentrations among the highest reported for South American coastal systems.

2021 Boletín de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing microplastic pollution along the Caribbean coast of La Guajira, Colombia

Researchers conducted the first assessment of microplastic pollution along 125 km of the Caribbean coast of La Guajira, Colombia. They found microplastics at four of seven beaches sampled, with filaments from fishing activities predominating and polymers primarily consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of distance to the sea and geomorphological characteristics on the quantity and distribution of microplastics in beach sediments of Granada (Spain)

Researchers characterized microplastic pollution on three beaches along the Granada coast of Spain, examining how distance from the sea and geomorphological features influence microplastic quantity and polymer composition in beach sediments. The study establishes regional baseline contamination levels and identifies spatial distribution patterns relevant to national and EU marine pollution directives.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 64 citations
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

Microplastic and tar pollution on three Canary Islands beaches: An annual study

Researchers monitored large microplastics, mesoplastics, and tar pollution across three exposed Canary Islands beaches for a full year, finding great spatial and temporal variability in debris concentrations driven by seasonal patterns and local oceanographic conditions.

2017 Marine Pollution Bulletin 133 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization of microplastic pollution along the North Catalan coast: distribution and impacts

Researchers characterized microplastic pollution distribution and impacts along the North Catalan coast, examining vulnerable habitats including Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows, sandy bottoms, and pelagic ecosystems to assess threats to marine biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and ecosystem services.

2025 QRU Quaderns de Recerca en Urbanisme
Article Tier 2

Mapping microplastic overlap between marine compartments and biodiversity in a Mediterranean marine protected area

Researchers mapped microplastic distribution across water, sediment, and biota in a Mediterranean marine protected area, revealing significant overlap between microplastic hotspots and biodiversity-rich zones, raising concerns about ecological impacts in supposedly protected habitats.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in sublittoral coastal sediments of a North Atlantic island: The case of La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain)

Researchers found microplastic contamination in sublittoral coastal sediments at 5-7 m depth around La Palma island in the Canary Islands, with concentration varying by sampling location and depth within sediment cores.

2021 Chemosphere 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Occurrence in Relation to Sediment Granulometry Along the Central Caribbean Coast of Colombia

Scientists found tiny plastic pieces in beach sand along Colombia's coast, with amounts similar to polluted beaches worldwide. The type of sand affects how much plastic builds up - beaches with certain sand textures tend to collect more plastic pollution. This matters because microplastics can enter the food chain through sea life and potentially affect human health when we eat contaminated seafood.

2026
Review Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in coastal areas of Colombia: Review

This review summarized the state of microplastic research in Colombia's coastal areas, finding that Caribbean coasts are most contaminated with secondary polypropylene and polyethylene microplastics in sediments, and that 7% of 302 fish species sampled contained microplastics, while noting a lack of standardized methods across studies.

2023 Marine Environmental Research 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatiotemporal distribution of microplastic debris in the surface beach sediment of the southeastern coast of Bangladesh

A spatiotemporal analysis of microplastics in beach sediments across 7 coastal sites in Bangladesh found an average concentration of 242 particles per kilogram dry weight, with significant seasonal and spatial variation driven by monsoon patterns and proximity to urban areas.

2023 Heliyon 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Mediterranean Sea: Deposition in coastal shallow sediments, spatial variation and preferential grain size

Researchers sampled Mediterranean coastal shallow sediments and found microplastics throughout, with concentrations and polymer types reflecting land-based inputs and showing that coastal sediments are a significant regional reservoir for plastic debris.

2016 Marine Environmental Research 617 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics pollution on the abundance and composition of interstitial meiofauna

Researchers found that microplastic accumulation in beach sediments negatively affected the abundance and community composition of meiofauna at lower intertidal levels on urban Colombian beaches, with microplastics explaining 39% of community variation in the most heavily impacted zone.

2023 Revista de Biología Tropical 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatiotemporal distribution of microplastic debris in the surface beach sediment of the southeastern coast of bangladesh

Researchers assessed the spatiotemporal distribution of microplastic debris in surface beach sediments along approximately 240 kilometers of the southeastern Bangladeshi coast, sampling seven beaches from Kumira to Teknaf across monsoon and winter seasons to characterize seasonal and spatial pollution patterns.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Abundance, distribution, and characteristics of microplastics in coastal surface waters of the Colombian Caribbean and Pacific

This study documented microplastic abundance, distribution, and characteristics across Colombian Caribbean and Pacific coastal surface waters during the 2017 rainy season, finding concentrations up to 8.96 items per square meter and establishing the first national baseline for microplastic pollution in Colombian coastal waters.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 76 citations
Article Tier 2

Seasonal variation in plastic litter pollution in mangroves from two remote tropical estuaries of the Colombian Pacific

Researchers found that plastic litter in two remote Colombian Pacific mangrove estuaries was dominated by microplastics, with higher abundances during high-rainfall seasons in both surface waters and sediments, and foams and fragments being the most common types.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial distribution and increase of microplastics over time in sediments of Buenaventura Bay, Colombian Pacific

This study tracked changes in microplastic contamination in sediments of Buenaventura Bay in Colombia over time, finding that levels have increased and that the types and distribution vary spatially. The findings document a growing plastic pollution problem in a major Pacific port city.

2021 Boletín de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Are seafloor habitats influencing the distribution of microplastics in coastal sediments of a Marine Protected Area?

Researchers examined whether seafloor habitat type influences microplastic distribution in coastal sediments of the Cabrera Marine National Park, finding that habitat structure and hydrodynamic conditions at protected sites affect microplastic accumulation patterns even within a marine protected area.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 16 citations
Article Tier 2

A baseline study of meso and microplastic predominance in pristine beach sediment of the Indian tropical island ecosystem

Researchers conducted a baseline survey of meso- and microplastic contamination on beaches of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India, finding plastic debris present even in these relatively remote tropical island ecosystems, with fragments and films being the most common types.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 32 citations