Abstract
Microplastic pollution has become a global concern due to its distribution, high abundance, and negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems. These particles enter aquatic systems through the inadequate management of solid waste and wastewater generated from socioeconomic and domestic activities. In Colombia, about 65% of the solid waste generated in coastal populations is improperly managed and discharged into natural water bodies, contributing to microplastic pollution. The present study aimed to determine the abundances, distribution, and physical and chemical characteristics of microplastics in coastal surface waters of the Colombian Caribbean and Pacific. Samplings were carried out at 41 stations distributed across nine study areas during the rainy season of 2017, using a 500-μm mesh plankton net. The microplastic abundances ranged from 0.01 to 8.96 items m−3, with the coastal waters of the Caribbean areas being the most polluted. Microplastics with shapes of fragments, filaments, and foams, composed of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene, were the most common. A baseline of microplastic pollution in Colombian coastal water was generated, which will serve to evaluate the effectiveness of the environmental measures implemented to significantly reduce this pollution type, within the sustainable development goals.
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Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the Information Services Laboratory of the Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costera José Benito Vives de Andréis - INVEMAR, Colombia, but restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for the current study and so are not publicly available. Data are however available from the authors upon reasonable request and with permission of the director general of INVEMAR.
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Acknowledgements
This study was funded by the Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible de Colombia –MinAmbiente, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras José Benito Vives de Andréis – INVEMAR, and Universidad Federal Fluminense – UFF. We thank the subnational environmental authorities (CORALINA, CORPAMAG, CARDIQUE, CVS, CORPOURABÁ, CODECHOCÓ, CVC, CORPONARIÑO, and DIMAR) and researchers Victoria Castillo, Mónica Bayona, Ramiro Rueda, Daniel Fawcett, Kevin Mejía, and Jennifer López-Muñoz for the support provided during the field and laboratory work. We thank the researcher Felipe Valencia Ospina and Diana Romero Dachiardi for the cartographic support and Dr. Martin Thiel for the previous revision of the manuscript. Scientific contribution of INVEMAR No. 1296.
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Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible de Colombia
Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costera José Benito Vives de Andréis – INVEMAR, Colombia
Universidad Federal Fluminense, Brazil
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OGO conceived and designed the experiments, analyzed the data, and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. OGO, LFE, MCM, LSP, and RMA made critical revisions and contributed to the writing of the manuscript. OGO, MCM, and LSP contributed to the laboratory analysis. OGO, LFE, MCM, LSP, and RMA agree with manuscript results and conclusions. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
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Garcés-Ordóñez, O., Espinosa, L.F., Costa Muniz, M. et al. Abundance, distribution, and characteristics of microplastics in coastal surface waters of the Colombian Caribbean and Pacific. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 43431–43442 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13723-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13723-x