E. N. Sibirtsova
A. O. Kovalevsky Institute of Marine Biological Research of RAS, Sevastopol, Russia
Abstract
Within the framework of the monthly monitoring the study of qualitative and quantitative composition and distribution of microplastics on the Sevastopol beaches (Omega and Uchkuevka) sediment in the summer (May – September) 2016 – 2017 is conducted. Microplastics pollution monitoring of the Black Sea Crimean coast off-shore zone is carried out for the first time. Microplastics abundance was estimated from surveys on two of popular Sevastopol beaches. The high quantitative indexes of microplastics are educed in soils of the investigated beaches. The highest parameters are registered at Omega beach in May 2017 (6,9 ± 0,26 items·m-2) and at Uchkuevka beach in August 2016 (3,5 ± 0,088 items·m-2). The average quantitative indexes of microplastic on the beaches of Omega and Uchkuevka during the tourist season (May – September) were at Omega beach: 5,12 ± 0,138 items·m-2 in 2016 and 5,82 ± 0,15 items·m-2 in 2017; at Uchkuevka beach: 3,02 ± 0,076 items·m-2 in 2016 and 1,92 ± 0,048 items·m-2 in 2017.
The microplastic basic sources are also listed, as well as the difficulties encountered in adapting the methods of the samples selection and analysis are shown.
Keywords
microplastics pollution, beaches debris monitoring, the Black Sea, recreation zones
DOI
10.22449/2413-5577-2018-1-64-73