Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, (IIMyC), Facultad de Ciencias, Exactas y Naturales (FCEyN), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP), Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), CC1260, 7600, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, (IIMyC), Facultad de Ciencias, Exactas y Naturales (FCEyN), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP), Argentina.
Mar Environ Res. 2021 Oct;171:105472. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105472. Epub 2021 Sep 1.
Microplastics are currently considered widespread marine pollutants, accumulating in sediments and shorelines around the world. Spatial distribution of microplastics in marine sediments is consequence of a combination of multiple factors (naturals and anthropics). We evaluated the drivers' factors of the abundance and distribution of two microplastics morphotypes (fibers and fragments) in surface sediments (5 cm deep) on SW Atlantic beaches with different plastics waste contribution along the coastline. Beach geomorphology, sediment grain size, distance to the urban area, continental waters discharge and human activities were the analyzed factors. Fibers abundance was significantly highest in pocket beaches, moderately exposed and closest to the urban center, while the fragments abundance was highest in beaches with stormwater outfall. The fine sand and the high recreational level were also factors driving the abundance of both morphotypes. Therefore, plastic morphotype and abundance vary according to the determining factors.
微塑料目前被认为是广泛存在的海洋污染物，在世界各地的沉积物和海岸线中积累。海洋沉积物中微塑料的空间分布是多种因素（自然和人为）共同作用的结果。我们评估了沿大西洋西南岸不同塑料废物贡献的海滩上，两种微塑料形态（纤维和碎片）在表层沉积物（5 厘米深）中丰度和分布的驱动因素。分析的因素包括海滩地貌、沉积物粒度、到城市的距离、大陆水排放和人类活动。口袋海滩的纤维丰度最高，暴露程度适中，且最靠近城市中心，而碎片丰度最高的是有雨水排水口的海滩。细沙和高娱乐水平也是两种形态丰度的驱动因素。因此，塑料形态和丰度根据决定因素而变化。
