Abundance of Marine Debris on Satonda Island, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Abstract

Macro-sized marine debris is found not only on the coasts of densely populated islands but also on the coasts of small islands. The presence of marine debris on this small island is because there are tourist attractions that attract people’s attention or because currents around it carry it away. Therefore, this research aims to determine the abundance of marine debris on Satonda Island (a small island in the eastern part of Sumbawa Island, West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia). Even though it is small, this island is an attractive tourist destination because it has a lake formed from the eruption of Mount Tambora. Marine debris data was collected using the quadrant transect method, carried out randomly along the coastline. Data collection time was carried out at high and low tides, with the parameters recorded being the amount and type of waste, size and shape of rubbish, coordinate points, transect length, and data collection time. The research results show that the marine debris on Satonda Island is diverse (393 items), with a total weight of 16,665.45 g. At high tide, it is dominated by rubber marine debris, such as shoes and sandals weighing 1,457 g (33 items), while at low tide, it is dominated by hard plastic marine debris weighing 3,972 g (147 items).