Microplastics in the Center of Mediterranean: Comparison of the Two Calabrian Coasts and Distribution from Coastal Areas to the Open Sea

Abstract

Plastic is everywhere—increasing evidence suggests that plastic pollution is ubiquitous and persistent in ecosystems worldwide. Microplastic pollution in marine environments is particularly insidious, as small fragmentation can increase interaction with biota and food chain access. Of particular concern is the Mediterranean Sea, which has become a large area of accumulation of plastic debris, including microplastics, whose polymeric composition is still largely unknown. In this study, we analyzed the polymeric composition, particle size distribution, shape, and color of small plastic particles (ranging from 50 to 5000 µm) collected from the sea surface in six stations at the center of the Mediterranean Sea. We also described, for the first time, the different distribution of microplastics from coastal areas up to 12 nautical miles offshore. The microplastic density was 0.13 ± 0.19 particles/m2, with a marked prevalence of smaller particles (73% < 3 mm) and a peak between 1 and 2 mm (34.74%). Microplastics composition analysis showed that the most abundant material was polyethylene (69%), followed by polypropylene (24%). Moreover, we reported a comparison of the two Calabrian coasts providing the first characterization of a great difference in microplastic concentration between the Tyrrhenian and Ionian sides (87% vs. 13%, respectively), probably due to the complex marine and atmospheric circulation, which make the Tyrrhenian side an area of accumulation of materials originating even from faraway places. We demonstrate, for the first time, a great difference in microplastic concentration between Tyrrhenian and Ionian Calabrian coasts, providing a full characterization and highlighting that microplastic pollution is affected by both local release and hydrography of the areas.

From inshore to offshore: distribution of microplastics in three Italian seawaters

“…Microplastics have been found in seawaters in several recent studies, and when compared using the same unit of measurement (items·m –2 ) and mesh size of the tools (330 µm), our findings are consistent with those of others, such as those found in Tuscany’s coastal waters (0.069 ± 0.083 items·m –2 ; Baini et al 2018 ), in the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Seas (0.25 ± 0.84 items·m –2 ; Caldwell et al 2020 ), and both in the Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts (0.13 ± 0.19 items·m –2 ; Marrone et al 2021 ). As observed in the Mediterranean seawaters (Simon-Sánchez et al 2022 ), the results appear to reflect the high variability found in all three Italian subregions, with coastal mean values of 0.0616 items m –2 as compared to 0.0207 items m –2 in offshore waters.…”

Microplastic Contamination in Human Stools, Foods, and Drinking Water Associated with Indonesian Coastal Population

“…In nature, plastic waste is degraded and fragmented into smaller micro-and nanoparticles with sizes less than 5 mm [4]. Owing to their small size, micro-plastic can be easily dispersed and become waterborne [5][6][7][8], soil-borne [9,10], airborne pollutants [11]. From the domestic and industrial environment microplastic could enter the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem through incomplete removal in wastewater treat-ment plants and…”

The geographical and seasonal effects on the composition of marine microplastic and its microbial communities: The case study of Israel and Portugal

“…In both seasons the predominant colors were transparent (37.4% in summer and 62.2% in winter) and white (25.8% in summer and 35.6% in winter). The predominance of light colors was also recorded by Van der Hal et al (2017) along the Israeli Mediterranean coast in both summer and winter and by Marrone et al (2021) in the central part of the Mediterranean Sea. In contrary to the microplastic color distribution in Yarkon samples, in the Sado samples the green particles (32.54%) were the most abundant in the summer; and the blue particles (29.23%) were the most abundant in the winter.…”

“…The predominance of fragments in both seasons in Yarkon, agrees with the most frequently found typologies along the Mediterranean coast of Israel (93.6-97.7%;van der Hal et al, 2017), Mediterranean basin (87.7%; Cózar et al, 2015) and in open and coastal waters of the eastern Mediterranean Sea (including the Ionian and Levantine seas; 50-60%; Adamopoulou et al, 2021). The high percentage of films documented in the winter (37.78%), can be explained by the faster degradation of plastic bags and packaging, which is considered their main source (Marrone et al, 2021). The same was observed for Sado, where fragments predominated during summer (63.49%) and winter (76.34%), which is in agreement with samples from the North East Atlantic (63%) and from Arrábida and Setúbal (Rodrigues et al, 2022).…”