Distribuição e caracterização dos microplásticos em ambientes deposicionais na região litorânea e marinha da Paraíba, NE Brasil

Abstract

Since microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous, it is necessary to assess the impact of these contaminants on sediments, as they are considered sinks for these particles, especially in estuarine and protected environments, such as Conservation Units (CUs). Accordingly, this study aims to quantify and characterize microplastics, according to their shape and color, present in sediment samples from the Paraíba River Estuary located between the municipalities of Cabedelo and Lucena, and in the Seixas Reefs, located in the municipality of João Pessoa, capital of the state of Paraíba, so that it is possible to carry out a survey of the areas that suffer most from the impact of microplastics. The methodology improves the standard protocol for studying microplastics, with some steps adapted to the reality of the study areas. A total of 4,244 microplastics were found (2,339 in the study and 1,905 in the Natural Pools). There were significant differences between the microplastic formats and their interactions with the sampling sites, where filaments and fibers occurred in greater quantities in the Estuary while fragments were more frequent in the natural pools of Seixas. The predominant colors were black, transparent, blue, followed by red and others such as silver, green, brown, yellow and orange. The presence of microplastic in all samples tested reflects the contamination process in the scientific area, which can originate from different sources, such as the proximity of medium and small rivers, domestic sewage discharge near the beach and tourism.