Arenas Blancas (El Hierro island), a new hotspot of plastic debris in the Canary Islands (Spain)

Hernández-Sánchez, Cintia; González‐Sálamo, Javier; Díaz-Peña, Francisco Javier; Fraile-Nuez, E.

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112548

Cited by 18 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…As to the study of color distribution (Figure 2) using the systematic semiautomatic method [35], it was observed that the fragments studied (n = 687) presented an increased tendency to acquire lighter hues. Of this total, 46.87% were white colored (31%) and transparent (15.87%) samples, which are the most abundant in Canary Islands coasts according to other previous studies on the islands [15,17,[37][38][39]. Of the remaining 53.13%, the predominant colors were sky blue (10.9%), yellow (9.8%), grey (67.0%), blue (6.4%), green (6.0%), pink (6.0%), violet (3.1%), red (2.6%), cyan (1.0%) and turquoise (0.7%).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 58%

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Bacterial Colonization of Microplastics at the Beaches of an Oceanic Island, Tenerife, Canary Islands

Hernández-Sánchez

Pestana-Ríos

Villanova-Solano

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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(1) Isolated systems, such as oceanic islands, are increasingly experiencing important problems related to microplastic debris on their beaches. The formation of microbial biofilm on the surface of microplastics present in marine environments provides potential facilities for microorganisms to survive under the biofilm. Moreover, microplastics act as a vehicle for the dispersion of pathogenic organisms, constituting a new route of exposure for humans. (2) In this study, the microbial content (FIO and Vibrio spp. and Staphylococcus aureus) of microplastics (fragments and pellets) collected from seven beaches of the oceanic island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands (Spain), was determined. (3) Results showed that Escherichia coli was present in 57.1% of the fragments and 28.5% of the pellets studied. In the case of intestinal Enterococci, 85.7% of the fragments and 57.1% of the pellets tested positive for this parameter. Finally, 100% of the fragments and 42.8% of the pellets analyzed from the different beaches contained Vibrio spp. (4) This study shows that microplastics act as reservoirs of microorganisms that can increase the presence of bacteria indicating faecal and pathogenic contamination in bathing areas.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 58%

“…The ageing/weathering process, mainly by photodegradation, is the major cause of fragment whitening and pellet yellowing [38,40,41]. In the study of Rodriguez et al, 2019, 90.6% of the pellets were translucent, probably due the nearby dumping of its particles [32].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacterial Colonization of Microplastics at the Beaches of an Oceanic Island, Tenerife, Canary Islands

Hernández-Sánchez

Pestana-Ríos

Villanova-Solano

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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“…This is observed from the data compiled in previous research developed up to now in which MPs have been gathered in beaches of the region (Table 1). In this sense, and although there is not a clear definition of what a hotspot of MPs arrival is, several authors have already highlighted the existence of 4 of such spots in the Canaries (see Figure 1) (Baztan et al, 2014;Herrera et al, 2018;A ́lvarez-Hernańdez et al, 2019;Edo et al, 2019;Gonzaĺez-Hernańdez et al, 2020;Rapp et al, 2020;Reinold et al, 2020;Hernańdez-Sańchez et al, 2021): located in Playa Grande (Tenerife Island) (A ́lvarez-Hernańdez et al, 2019), Playa de Famara (Lanzarote Island) (Baztan et al, 2014;Herrera et al, 2018), Playa Lambra (La Graciosa Island) (Baztan et al, 2014;Herrera et al, 2018) and Arenas Blancas (El Hierro Island) (Hernańdez-Sańchez et al, 2021), being the most recent. These beaches have in common that they have a north or north-east orientation with visual evidence of MPs contamination all over the year.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These beaches have in common that they have a north or north-east orientation with visual evidence of MPs contamination all over the year. Besides, more than 100 g/m 2 of plastics or concentrations higher than 3,000 items/m 2 have been reported in certain times of the year (Hernańdez-Sańchez et al, 2021). Although it is a common pattern, nowadays it is not fully understood why such places are more prone than others of the same islands to receive a higher arrival of MPs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the origin and fate of surface and sub-surface marine microplastics in the Canary Islands region

Vega-Moreno,

Sicilia-González,

Domínguez-Hernández

et al. 2024

Front. Mar. Sci.

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The presence of different types of microplastics (MPs) in the Atlantic Ocean has been well-documented, with data collected from the Canary Islands indicating high concentrations of MPs at four different beaches (hot spots). However, critical gaps persist regarding the abundance of MPs in diverse open ocean regions, at varying depths, and their transport behavior and origin. This study aims to evaluate, for the first time, the large-scale (>100 km) and mesoscale (10-100 km) ocean dynamic processes and the resulting transport of MPs in the region. On the one hand, this study investigates the surface velocity of currents between 27-32°N latitude range, establishing correlation with the accumulation of MPs on diverse beaches across several islands of the archipelago. This analysis goes beyond studying the predominant current by integrating data at a smaller geographical scale over a two-year period. Concurrently, previous and ongoing research suggests the presence of small MPs (SMPs,<1 mm) at high concentration at a depth of 1100 meters in this region. By integrating these vertical profiles of MPs with a deep understanding of the physical processes of the Canary region accumulated over decades of research, our study introduces an innovative model that outlines how SMPs are sink and transported in open oceans by water mases. This comprehensive approach not only enhances our understanding of the complex dynamics influencing the distribution of MPs but also provides crucial insights to address the widespread problem of MP pollution in the Atlantic.

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“…The arrival of a relevant quantity of microplastic pellets on the coast of the Canary Islands is common [ 44 , 45 , 46 ]. In this study, various marine MP pellet samples were collected in the region of the Canary Islands (Spain) during 2019.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Yellowing, Weathering and Degradation of Marine Pellets and Their Influence on the Adsorption of Chemical Pollutants

Abaroa-Pérez¹,

Ortiz-Montosa

Hernández‐Brito

et al. 2022

Polymers

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Marine microplastics (MPs) are exposed to environmental factors, which produce aging, weathering, surface cracking, yellowing, fragmentation and degradation, thereby changing the structure and behavior of the plastic. This degradation also has an influence on the adsorption of persistent organic pollutants over the microplastic surface, leading to increased concentration with aging. The degradation state affects the microplastic color over time; this is called yellowing, which can be quantified using the Yellowness Index (YI). Weathering and surface cracking is also related with the microplastic yellowing, which can be identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In this study, the degradation state of marine microplastic polyethylene pellets with different aging stages is evaluated and quantified with YI determination and the analysis of FTIR spectrums. A color palette, which relates to the microplastic color and YI, was developed to obtain a visual percentage of this index. The relation with the adsorption rate of persistent organic pollutant over the microplastic surface was also determined.

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Arenas Blancas (El Hierro island), a new hotspot of plastic debris in the Canary Islands (Spain)

Cited by 18 publications

References 23 publications

Bacterial Colonization of Microplastics at the Beaches of an Oceanic Island, Tenerife, Canary Islands

Bacterial Colonization of Microplastics at the Beaches of an Oceanic Island, Tenerife, Canary Islands

Exploring the origin and fate of surface and sub-surface marine microplastics in the Canary Islands region

Yellowing, Weathering and Degradation of Marine Pellets and Their Influence on the Adsorption of Chemical Pollutants

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