Seasonal variability in the distribution of microplastics in the coastal ecosystems and in some commercially important fishes of the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, Southeast coast of India

Abstract

Impact of microplastic pollution on the marine environment and its biota is a major concern globally. Gulf of Mannar (GoM) and Palk Bay (PB) are two important biodiversity hotspots along the south-east coast of India. However, in the recent years the intense tourism and fishery activities have made the ecosystem and biota of these two ecologically significant coastal zones vulnerable to microplastic contamination. Hence, a comparative study on the seasonal distribution of microplastics in the surface waters, sediments, and in commercially important fishes were conducted to evaluate the threats imposed by microplastics on the environment and biota of both these coastal ecosystems. Microplastic distribution in the surface waters and sediments of GoM and PB exhibited conspicuous seasonal variation and showed positive correlation with the seasonal current patterns. In the surface waters of GoM, microplastics were abundant during the South West Monsoon whereas in PB it was high during the Early Winter Monsoon period. In the sediments of PB, microplastics was more during Spring Inter-monsoon and South West Monsoon whereas in GoM it was high during Late Winter Monsoon. Fragments, of size 1 to 5 mm formed the abundant microplastic type in the surface waters whereas in the sediments, fragments of size < 1 mm dominated. Of the gut content of the 613 fishes belonging to 12 families examined, microplastics were more in pelagic than demersal fishes with higher incidences in the family Clupeidae (42%). Among the fishes studied, microplastic ingestion was more in Selaroides leptolepis (27.77%), Sphyraena sp. (14.28%), Pelates quadrilineatus (12%), Caranx sp. (10.34%), and Sphyraena barracuda (10%).

Contamination of the marine environment in Egypt and Saudi Arabia with personal protective equipment during COVID-19 pandemic: A short focus

“…The rate of accumulation of plastics in marine environments depends on anthropogenic activities, direction and speed of the wind, and coastal water uses ( James et al, 2021 ). Macro-and microplastic pollution has caused problems in many parts of the world, through ingestion by and entanglement of marine animals ( Cauwenberghe et al, 2013 ; Thompson et al, 2014 ; James et al, 2021 ).…”

“…However, photooxidation by UV radiation and mechanical friction can help in the fragmentation of the plastics into small fragments ( Tamara et al, 2017 ). Microplastics (having size <5 ml) have an enormous impact on the marine ecosystem and they are considered a potential threat ( Gewert et al, 2015 ; James et al, 2021 ; Patrício et al, 2021 ). These plastics can travel thousands of miles, carried by water currents and wind action ( Barnes et al, 2009 ; Al-Salem et al, 2021 ; Onoja et al, 2022 ).…”

Impact of Marine Debris on Coral Reef Ecosystem and Effectiveness of Removal of Debris on Ecosystem Health – Baseline Data From Palk Bay, Indian Ocean

“…Similar reports exist on the abundance of polypropylene and polystyrene debris originating from shing activities along the north western beaches of Rameswaram island (Vidyasakar et al 2018). On the contrary, Villoonditheertham (R2) and Pamban (R4) regions of Rameswaram island are important pilgrimage and tourist destinations (James et al 2021). Tourism-heavy areas are associated with the careless disposal of plastic materials such as covers and packing materials (Krishnakumar et al 2018).…”

Characterization of microplastics and its Pollution load index in freshwater Kumaraswamy Lake of Coimbatore, India

“…The surface water was collected in different seasons like summer, pre-monsoon, monsoon, and postmonsoon (James et al 2021) in 2019 at different sampling points of the inlet, centre, and outlet of the lake. Glass bottles were used to collect one litre of surface water samples (Sathish et al 2020), with twelve replicates taken separately at each sampling point and transported into the laboratory without airborne microplastic contamination.…”