Plastic pollution in marine ecosystems: spatiotemporal assessment in beach sediments of protected coastal areas
(English) Plastic pollution has emerged as a critical threat to marine ecosystems, particularly in ecologically sensitive and protected coastal areas. This doctoral thesis presents a spatiotemporal assessment of plastic particle debris, including microplastics, in beach sediments from marine protect...
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| Tipo de recurso: | tesis doctoral |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/442923 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/442923 https://dx.doi.org/10.5821/dissertation-2117-442923 |
| Access Level: | acceso embargado |
| Palabra clave: | Contaminación marina Contaminación por microplásticos Residuos plásticos Evaluación ambiental Análisis FTIR Elementos traza. Marine pollution Microplastic contamination Plastic debris Environmental assessment FTIR analysis Trace elements Contaminació marina Contaminació per microplàstics Residus plàstics Avaluació ambiental Anàlisi FTIR Elements traça 624 - Enginyeria civil i de la construcció en general 502 - Natura. Estudi, conservació i protecció de la natura Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Nàutica Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Desenvolupament humà i sostenible |
| Sumario: | (English) Plastic pollution has emerged as a critical threat to marine ecosystems, particularly in ecologically sensitive and protected coastal areas. This doctoral thesis presents a spatiotemporal assessment of plastic particle debris, including microplastics, in beach sediments from marine protected areas (MPAs) on the Caribbean coast of La Guajira, Colombia, and marine Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. Fieldwork involved systematic sampling across 13 beaches (seven in La Guajira and six in Tenerife), representing a variety of environmental conditions. The study in La Guajira, the first of its kind in the region, revealed microplastic abundance ranging from 2.4 ± 0.6 to 22 ± 7 microplastics/m2, with concentrations varying statistically by beach use but not significantly between the two sampling periods. Filaments, primarily from fishing activities, were the most prevalent type (38.5%). In Tenerife´s marine SACs, a comprehensive 12-week assessment of macro-, meso-, and microplastics uncovered significant spatial and temporal variability. Playa de Montaña Roja emerged as a notable pollution hotspot, with 64 ± 36 mesoplastics/m2 and 506 ± 364 microplastics/m2. Fragments dominated the samples (80%), especially white and light-colored, indicating their likely origin as secondary particles from consumer products. In both scenarios, the most common polymers detected were polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene, due to their buoyancy in marine environments, which also reflects global trends in production. Further analysis of heavy metal presence in microplastics from Tenerife´s SACs, using microwave-assisted acid digestion and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, identified sixteen elements, including appreciable levels of six Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-priority heavy metals: chromium, nickel, copper, zinc, cadmium, and lead. Comparative analysis showed a preferential accumulation of chromium, copper, lead, and cadmium in PE fragments over PP pellets, highlighting the role of polymer type. Cadmium concentration was particularly high (105 ± 15 mg/kg) in PE fragments from Playa de Montaña Roja SAC. In summary, this doctoral thesis provides robust empirical evidence on the abundance, spatiotemporal distribution, and characteristics (shape, color, and polymer type) of microplastics in MPAs, along with associated heavy metal concentrations. The findings presented herein not only reinforce the urgency of addressing plastic pollution but also offer practical tools and insights to guide the development of public policies aimed at protecting vulnerable marine ecosystems from microplastic-related threats. |
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