Waste and Marine Litter
Waste and litter are a significant issue, impacting ecosystems, economies and societies.
Microplastic pollution in the intertidal and subtidal sediments of Vava'u, Tonga
Plastic pollution research on a global scale intensified considerably in
the current decade; however, research efforts in the South Pacific are
still lagging. Here, we report on microplastic contamination of
intertidal and subtidal sediments in the Vava'u archipelago, Tonga.
While providing the first baseline data of its type in Tonga, the study
also advances methods and adjusts them for low-budget research. The
methods were based on density separation of microplastics from the
sediment using CaCl2, a high-density salt which due to its
high solubility, low cost and availability. Once separated,
microplastics were quantified by microscopic analysis and polymers
characterized via FTIR spectroscopy. Microplastics in intertidal and
subtidal sediments were found in concentrations of 23.5 ± 1.9 and
15.0 ± 1.9 particles L−1 of sediment, respectively. The
dominant type of microplastics in both intertidal (85 %) and subtidal
sediments (62 %) were fibres.
Status: Completed
Type: Staff Publications
Author: Ana Markic, James H. Bridson, Peta Morton, Lucy Hersey, Thomas Maes, Melissa Bowen, Andrea Budisa
Year of publication: 2023
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