4.7 Article

Microplastic and tar pollution on three Canary Islands beaches: An annual study

Journal

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
Volume 129, Issue 2, Pages 494-502

Publisher

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.10.020

Keywords

Marine debris; Microplastic; Tar; Resin pellets; Pollution; Canary Islands

Funding

  1. projects PLASMAR [MAC/1.1a/030]
  2. European Union (EU)
  3. European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
  4. INTERREG V-A Spain-Portugal MAC (Madeira-Azores-Canarias)
  5. MICROTROFIC - ULPGC [ULPGC2015-04]
  6. BIOMAR - CEI Canarias: Campus Atlantic Tricontinental [CEI-39-20162105-01]
  7. Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria [ULPGC-2014]
  8. TIAA-CREF (USA)
  9. Social Security (USA)
  10. Canary Islands CEI: Tricontinental Atlantic Campus program

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Marine debris accumulation was analyzed from three exposed beaches of the Canary Islands (Lambra, Famara and Las Canteras). Large microplastics (1-5 mm), mesoplastics (5-25 mm) and tar pollution were assessed twice a month for a year. There was great spatial and temporal variability in the Canary Island coastal pollution. Seasonal patterns differed at each location, marine debris concentration depended mainly of local-scale wind and wave conditions. The most polluted beach was Lambra, a remote beach infrequently visited. The types of debris found were mainly preproduction resin pellets, plastic fragments and tar, evidencing that pollution was not of local origin, but it cames from the open sea. The levels of pollution were similar to those of highly industrialized and contaminated regions. This study corroborates that the Canary Islands are an area of accumulation of microplastics and tar rafted from the North Atlantic Ocean by the southward flowing Canary Current.

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