Seasonal Distribution, Composition, and Inventory of Plastic Debris on the Yugang Park Beach in Zhanjiang Bay, South China Sea

Peng Zhang, Shanshan Wei, Jibiao Zhang, Huifeng Zhong, Shujia Wang and Qiying Jian
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Peng Zhang: College of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
Shanshan Wei: College of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
Jibiao Zhang: College of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
Huifeng Zhong: College of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
Shujia Wang: College of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
Qiying Jian: College of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 8, 1-17

Abstract: Plastic debris contamination in marine environments is a global problem that poses a considerable threat to the sustainability and health of coastal ecosystems. Marine beaches, as the key zones where terrestrial plastic debris reach coastal waters, are faced with the increasing pressures of human activities. In this study, we explored the distribution, composition, and inventory of plastic debris over seasonal and tidal zones at the Yugang Park Beach (YPB) in Zhanjiang Bay, South China Sea, to provide a baseline for plastic debris on a marine beach. The results showed mean abundance of plastic debris in summer (6.00 ± 2.10 items/m 2 ) was significantly greater than that in winter (3.75 ± 2.12 items/m 2 ). In addition, the composition of plastic debris ranged in size mainly from 1 to 5 mm and 0.5 to 2.5 cm in winter and summer, respectively. In terms of composition, white plastic debris was the most common (81.1%), and foam was the most abundant (64.4%). Moreover, there was a significant relationship between the abundance of plastic debris and sand grain size fraction ( p < 0.05), implying the abundances of microplastic debris were more easily impacted by sand grain size (>2 mm). In total inventory, there were about 1.18 × 10 5 and 2.95 × 10 5 items of plastic debris on the YPB in winter and summer, respectively. The tidal variation and human activities are responsible for the plastic debris accumulation. This study provided a method to quantify the inventory of plastic debris on a beach and could be helpful to consider regional tidal variations and critical source areas for effective plastic debris clean-up.

Keywords: marine beach; plastic debris; seasonal distribution; tidal zone; composition; inventory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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