Plastic waste in surface waters of an urban estuary
Elizângela Alves dos Santos
A * and Jacqueline Santos Silva Cavalcanti B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Graduate Program in Biodiversity, Oceanographic Laboratory of Aquatic Pollution, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Rua Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, Dois Irmãos, Recife, Pernambuco 52171-900, Brazil.
B Department of Biology, Oceanographic Laboratory of Aquatic Pollution, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Rua Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, Dois Irmãos, Recife, Pernambuco 52171-900, Brazil.
Marine and Freshwater Research 74(6) 500-510 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF22193
Submitted: 16 September 2022 Accepted: 25 January 2023 Published: 22 February 2023
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing
Abstract
Context: Plastic pollution is a threat to ecosystems and is a global problem.
Aims: We evaluated the spatio-temporal degradation stage of plastic waste found in surface waters (<1 m) of the Capibaribe River estuary.
Methods: The analysed waste items were sampled in three distinct areas within the estuary, namely, upper, middle and lower regions.
Key results: In total, 381 items of debris were classified as macroplastics (≤25 mm), with soft fragments (83.9%) and hard fragments (4.9%) being predominant. Advanced degradation stage occurred throughout the estuary (90.5%). A concentration of 1757 microplastics (<2.2 mm) was found predominant in the upper and middle regions. Soft fragments corresponded to the most abundant type (69%).
Conclusion: In the middle estuary, a plastic hotspot was observed, caused by the flood tide flow, river flow and the flow of a tributary, forming a convergence cell that helps retain plastic debris for long periods.
Implications: Identifying the origin, sources and how the hydrodynamic characteristics influence the distribution of plastic debris along the estuary is relevant because it will help decision-makers to develop municipal and state action plans for the recovery of this ecosystem.
Keywords: degradation, estuary, mangrove forest, microplastics, plastic fragments, plastic hotspot, plastic pollution, solid wastes.
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