Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Good Health & Well-being (SDG 3)
Assessing microplastic pollution in Barbados’ coastal environments: distribution, composition, and future research directions Nathan Wilkinson 1 , Dr Emma Smith 2 1 UWI West Indies Cave Hill. 2 UWI West Indies Cave Hill E-mail: nathan.wilkinson@mycavehill.uwi.edu, emma.smith@cavehill.uwi.edu Microplastics (MPs) are defined as any plastic particle that is < 5 mm in size. Microplastic pollution is a growing global issue that affects our marine environments and coastal landscapes. 1,2 This study was done between September 2023 – April 2024 and it investigated microplastic pollution levels across ten coastal locations in Barbados, analyzing beach sediment in all locations, and MPs in 2 water sites and in beach seaweed at 1 site. MPs were collected using 1 mm metal sieves at at 3, 1 m 3 sites which were 50-200 m apart and were 1-5 m above the high tide for beach sediment samples. Aqueous samples were collected in a 1mm mesh net and were collected either by being attached to the back of a paddleboard or attached behind a boat. Seaweed was collected on one beach, namely Long bay due to the high influx of brown sargassum seaweed that washed ashore. Samples were visually screened using a stereomicroscope and analyzed using Fourier transform Infrared Spectroscopy. Microplastics were detected in 6 of the 9 beach sediment sample sites, 1 of 3 aqueous sample sites and in 1 of 1 sargassum sample site, with a total of 43 microplastics being identified altogether. Of these 43 MPs, beach sediments samples accounted for 35 MPs, followed by seaweed, 6 MPs and aqueous samples, 2 MPs. Microplastic counts ranged from 0 to 22 MPs in beach sediments and 0 to 2 MPs in aqueous samples. Long Bay recorded the highest concentration (22 MPs), whilst 0 MPs were found at Batts Rock Beach, Barclays Park, Foul Bay and Heywoods Beach. The low microplastic presence in some locations may be due to regular cleaning in popular tourist areas. In contrast, Long Bay, visited during the dry season, had high MP levels, likely due to large sargassum deposits, which can transport MPs, and its exposure to Atlantic Ocean currents. Its lack of regular tourism may also contribute to the accumulation. 3 Polyethylene (80%) was the dominant polymer, with fragments (71%) as the primary form and white (29%) as the most common color, aligning with global trends. Ongoing research utilizing density separation aims to identify smaller microplastics potentially missed in the initial study. This future work, once completed, will provide a valuable basis for comparison. Key words: Microplastics, FTIR, Barbados, Caribbean References 1. Thompson, R. C.; Olsen, Y.; Mitchell, R. P.; Davis, A.; Rowland, S. J.; John, A. W.; McGonigle, D.; Russell, A. E. Lost at Sea: Where Is All the Plastic? Science 2004, 304 (5672), 838–838. DOI:10.1126/science.1094559. 2. Shim, W. J.; Thomposon, R. C. Microplastics in the Ocean. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 2015, 69 (3), 265–268. DOI:10.1007/s00244-015-0216-x. 3. Jocelyn, T.-F.; Areanely, C.-S. A.; Carolina, M.-S.; Sara, O.-B.; Alethia, V.-M.; Carlos, Á.-Z. J. Presence of Microplastics Deposited in Sargassum Sp. on Sandy Beaches. Regional Studies in Marine Science 2023, 66, 103152. DOI:10.1016/j.rsma.2023.103152.
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