Marine debris contamination along undeveloped tropical beaches from northeast Brazil

Abstract

We hypothesize that floating debris leaving polluted coastal bays accumulate on nearby pristine beaches. We examined composition, quantities and distribution of marine debris along approximately 150 km of relatively undeveloped, tropical beaches in Costa do Dendê (Bahia, Brazil). The study site is located south of Salvador City, the largest urban settlement from NE Brazil. Strong spatial variations were observed. Plastics accounted for 76% of the sampled items, followed by styrofoam (14%). Small plastic fragments resultant from the breakdown of larger items are ubiquitous all over the area. Because the dominant littoral drift in Bahia is southward, average beach debris densities (9.1 items/m) along Costa do Dendê were threefold higher than densities previously observed north of Salvador City. River-dominated and stable beaches had higher debris quantities than unstable, erosional beaches. Areas immediately south of the major regional embayments (Camamu and Todos os Santos) were the preferential accumulation sites, indicating that rivers draining populous areas are the major source of debris to the study site. Our results provide baseline information for future assessments. Management actions should focus on input prevention at the hydrographic basin level rather than on cleaning services on beaches.

Plastic Degradation and Its Environmental Implications with Special Reference to Poly(ethylene terephthalate)

“…The continual stream of pollutant plastic is maintained via two means: purposefully, through illegal or inappropriate dumping of domestic and industrial refuse; and inadvertently, through poorly contained static and transported waste. Directed by the elements, land-based plastic debris migrates to waterways, where it is further added to by the disposal or loss to the fact that plastics typically float and, therefore, tend to accumulate on beaches [25]. The bulk of debris washed onto the beaches studied, in terms of numbers, is composed of plastic items; often three quarters of all debris washed ashore are made of plastic [24,25].…”

“…Directed by the elements, land-based plastic debris migrates to waterways, where it is further added to by the disposal or loss to the fact that plastics typically float and, therefore, tend to accumulate on beaches [25]. The bulk of debris washed onto the beaches studied, in terms of numbers, is composed of plastic items; often three quarters of all debris washed ashore are made of plastic [24,25]. Such high levels of plastic debris in the environment can be attributed to the high availability of plastic products and its ability to persist in the environment [21,26].…”

Microplastics in the Marine Environment: Sources, Consequences and Solutions

“…7.1). Microplastic contamination has since been reported on a global scale from the poles to the equator (Barnes et al 2009;Browne et al 2011;Hidalgo-Ruz et al 2012) and contaminates the water surface of the open ocean (Law et al 2010;Collignon et al 2012;Goldstein et al 2012;Ivar do Sul et al 2013), estuaries and lakes (Eriksen et al 2013) together with marine (Browne et al 2011;Santos et al 2009) and freshwater shorelines (Imhof et al 2013) and subtidal sediments (Browne et al 2011) down to the deep sea (Van Cauwenberghe et al 2013;Woodall et al 2014). Microplastics have also been reported in considerable concentrations in Arctic sea ice (Obbard et al 2014;Fig.…”

Ingestion of nylon threads by Gerreidae while using a tropical estuary as foraging grounds

“…Plastics are a common type of marine pollution and are accumulating in the oceans (Carpenter et al 1972, Thompson et al 2004) and in coastal areas such as beaches, estuaries and mangroves (Santos et al 2009, Ramos et al 2011. In estuaries, small plastic fragments are easily transported due to the water movements in these ecosystems (Browne et al 2010).…”