Microplastic accumulation in beach sediments of the southwest coast of Crimea

The dynamics of microplastic concentration in beach sediments on the southwest coast of Crimea for the period from summer 2018 till autumn 2020 was investigated. The objects of research were areas located in the vicinity of Sevastopol with different local conditions and varying degree of anthropogenic load, i.e. five beaches in popular recreation areas, equipped with the adequate infrastructure, and two control areas with coastal relief suitable for entering the water, but without infrastructure and mass flow of tourists. To assess the anthropogenic load in the field, the actual indicators of one-time permissible recreational load and daily beach attendance were recorded.

The increasing microplastics concentrations during the study period 2018–2020 were recorded in all study areas. The amount of microplastics increased 5 times in some recreation areas. The maximum microplastic concentration was recorded on the Pesochny beach (up to 100 items·per 1 m2 ), which is by an order more than in the other areas. The largest share among the morphotypes of microplastic particles is owned by fragments – 48–80% in all regions. The spatial-temporal dynamics of microplastic concentration over the beach body is expressed in different ways. The most intense fluctuations in concentration were observed in the lower part of the beach, i.e. from the water edge to the upper boundary of wave splash. The greatest accumulation of microplastics on most beaches is also in the lower or middle part of the beach body. It was noted that the beaches with maximum microplastic concentrations (Pesochny and Omega beaches) demonstrate the actual one-time permissible recreational load more than 2 times above the theoretical one. The study showed a relatively favorable situation with a low level of MP in coastal sediments, excluding the Pesochny beach, where the microplastic pollution is comparable to that in the Mediterranean Sea, but an order of magnitude lower than in other parts of the World Ocean.

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