Spatial distribution of microplastics around an inhabited coral island in the Maldives, Indian Ocean

Toby B Patti; Emily K Fobert; Simon E Reeves; Karen Burke da Silva

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141263

Spatial distribution of microplastics around an inhabited coral island in the Maldives, Indian Ocean

Sci Total Environ. 2020 Dec 15:748:141263. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141263. Epub 2020 Aug 1.

Authors

Toby B Patti¹, Emily K Fobert¹, Simon E Reeves², Karen Burke da Silva³

Affiliations

¹ College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia.
² College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia; The Nature Conservancy, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia.
³ College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia. Electronic address: karen.burkedasilva@flinders.edu.au.

PMID: 32814286
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141263

Abstract

Small plastic particles are considered environmental pollutants and are highly concentrated in marine sediments. However, knowledge about plastic abundance within coral reef habitat and beach sediments surrounding remote inhabited coral islands is scarce. In this study, microplastic accumulation was investigated on a small inhabited coral island located in the Maldives. Sediments from 22 sampling sites across fore reef, reef flat, and beach environments were analysed for plastic particles <5 mm. Density separation and microscope enumeration revealed a total of 1244 individual microplastic pieces, in filamentous (49%) and fragmented (51%) forms, found across all sampling sites. High concentrations were recorded at all sites, however, there was no significant relationship between microplastic concentration or size across regions (inner atoll and outer atoll) or environments (fore reef, reef flat, and beach). Furthermore, concentrations of microplastic fragment and filament forms, total concentration, and the microplastic community, showed little correlation with sediment particle size. Our findings show microplastics are ubiquitous in marine sediments around a remote coral island, at sizes ingestible by marine organisms, raising concerns about potential effects of microplastic ingestion by coral reef species.

Keywords: Coral reef; Marine sediment; Microplastic; Plastic debris; Plastic filaments; Plastic particles; Waste management.