Size Relationships of Plastic Debris on 3 Sandy Beaches in Rayong Province
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Abstract
Sandy beaches are hotspots for accumulation of marine debris from direct human activities as well as those transported by the wind and currents. Plastic is the most common type of debris found on beaches, and this plastic debris can be divided into 4 different size classes: macroplastic (MAP, >25 mm), mesoplastic (MEP, 5-25 mm), large microplastic (LMP, 1-5 mm), and small microplastic (SMP, <1 mm). In this study, we analyzed the amount of plastic debris in the intertidal zone of 3 beaches in Rayong Province: Ao Makhampom, Suanson and Maptaphut. The results showed that different areas had significantly different amounts of plastic debris (p<0.05). The greatest amount of MAP, MEP and SMP was found on Ao Makhampom beach; most of which were fragments and fibers. LMP, however, were most commonly found on Maptaphut beach; most of them were polypropylene pellets. Interestingly, the vast majority of fiber type -LMPs were polyethylene and were likely from fishing nets and ropes. On the other hand, most of fiber type-SMPs were made of cotton blended with other synthetic polymers, rayon and nylon. These small fibers were perhaps from clothing and laundry activities. The relationships between MAP and SMP (r = 0.642) on all 3 beaches, and between MEP and LMP (r = 0.719) for Suanson beach were found. Such relationship between large plastic debris and microplastics could be used for rapid prediction of microplastic contamination on sandy beaches. In addition, a correlation was found between the microplastic content in sand sediments and in stomach of moon crab (Matuta victor) (r = 0.882), indicating the possibility of using moon crab as a bioindicator of contamination of microplastics on sandy beaches.
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