Variabilidade espaço-temporal de lixo marinho em praias do Espírito Santo

Abstract

Marine litter is defined as every solid material manufactured or processed that enters the marine environment by a direct or indirect source. Examples of environments that suffer from the growing accumulation of anthropogenic waste are beaches, and studies that analyze this type of pollution are important to contribute with more effective mitigation and prevention actions. In this context, this work analyzed the spatiotemporal variability of waste (macro and micro) deposited in three beaches of Espírito Santo: Praia da Costa, Praia do Morro and Regência. Solid waste in the sand - as well as sediment samples for microplastic analysis - were collected in three sectors of each beach, during the winter and the summer. In general, more waste was collected in the summer, both macro and micro, but no correlations were observed between solid waste concentrations and microplastic concentrations. Plastic items (macro) were the most abundant, including cigarette butts. During both periods, in the three beaches: a) CCI values indicated levels of pollution from “moderate” to “polluted”; b) fiber-type microplastics predominated; c) spatial differences were observed in the concentrations of residues, with the largest source of deposition in Praia da Costa and Praia do Morro being attributed to visitors, while in Regência this problem was attributed to the proximity to the Rio Doce.