Abundance and distribution of microplastics on sandy beaches of the eastern Moroccan Mediterranean coast

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) were investigated at 19 sandy beaches along the eastern Mediterranean Moroccan coast. Sediment samples (5 mm–63 μm) were analyzed to identify MPs abundance, size, shape, color and nature. MPs concentration ranged from 40 ± 7.4 to 230 ± 48.6 MPs kg−1; fibrous MPs were the most abundant (74.72 %), followed by fragments (20.26 %), films (3.27 %), pellets (1.42 %) and foams (0.33 %). Large MPs (1–5 mm) accounted for 58 %, while small (< 1 mm) for 42 %. The 1–2 mm fraction of sediments presented the greatest amounts (30.67 %) of MPs. Transparent (50 %) and blue (17 %) were most common colors and most of particles were angular and irregularly shaped. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis showed that PE (Polyethylene), PS (Polystyrene) and PP (Polypropylene) and PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) were the most common polymers. These findings revealed a moderate level of microplastic pollution along the beaches of the eastern Moroccan Mediterranean coast.