Distribution and abundance of small plastic debris on beaches in the SE Pacific (Chile): a study supported by a citizen science project
Abstract
The accumulation of large and small plastic debris is a problem throughout the world's oceans and coastlines. Abundances and types of small plastic debris have only been reported for some isolated beaches in the SE Pacific, but these data are insufficient to evaluate the situation in this region. The citizen science project "National Sampling of Small Plastic Debris" was supported by schoolchildren from all over Chile who documented the distribution and abundance of small plastic debris on Chilean beaches. Thirty-nine schools and nearly 1000 students from continental Chile and Easter Island participated in the activity. To validate the data obtained by the students, all samples were recounted in the laboratory. The results of the present study showed that the students were able to follow the instructions and generate reliable data. The average abundance obtained was 27 small plastic pieces per m(2) for the continental coast of Chile, but the samples from Easter Island had extraordinarily higher abundances (>800 items per m(2)). The abundance of small plastic debris on the continental coast could be associated with coastal urban centers and their economic activities. The high abundance found on Easter Island can be explained mainly by the transport of plastic debris via the surface currents in the South Pacific Subtropical Gyre, resulting in the accumulation of small plastic debris on the beaches of the island. This first report of the widespread distribution and abundance of small plastic debris on Chilean beaches underscores the need to extend plastic debris research to ecological aspects of the problem and to improve waste management.
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Polyethylene represents 79% of the polymers in microplastics sampled at sea or in the marine environment.
“It also represents 79% of the polymers in microplastics sampled at sea or in the marine environment (Hidalgo-Ruz and Thiel, 2013).”
From Microplastics Generation: Onset of Fragmentation of Polyethylene Films in Marine Environment Mesocosms (2017) · cites this paper as Hidalgo-Ruz and Thiel, 2013
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- Authors
- Hidalgo-Ruz, V., & Thiel, M.
- Venue
- Marine Environmental Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2013-06
- Volume
- 87-88
- Pages
- 12-18
- ISSN
- 0141-1136 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2163474281
- Cited by
- 466
- References
- 65
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 37 · 2024: 47 · 2023: 54 · 2022: 47 · 2021: 58 · 2020: 40 · 2019: 48 · 2018: 35 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 36 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 4
- FWCI
- 16.39
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Marine Environmental Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Universidad Católica del Norte
- Universidad del Norte
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Waste Management and Disposal › Waste Management and Recycling
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Turtle Biology and Conservation
- Keywords
- beach litter, plastic pollution, citizen science, elementary school students, Easter Island, South Pacific Subtropical Gyre, surface currents, coastal urbanization, waste management, data validation
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Bathing Beaches, Child, Chile, Environmental Monitoring, Humans, Plastics, Polynesia, Students, Waste Products, Water Pollutants, Chemical
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