Polymer Types of Microplastic in Coastal Areas


Gündoğdu S.

in: Microplastic Pollution, Muhammed Zaffar Hashmi, Editor, Springer Nature, Bern, pp.77-88, 2022

  • Publication Type: Book Chapter / Chapter Research Book
  • Publication Date: 2022
  • Publisher: Springer Nature
  • City: Bern
  • Page Numbers: pp.77-88
  • Editors: Muhammed Zaffar Hashmi, Editor
  • Çukurova University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The tendency for plastic leakage into the environment is increasing, and researchers struggle to detect the increase of plastic particles in marine environments. However, this situation raises a heated debate about the fate and final destination of missing plastics. The main axis of these discussions is whether the polymer types of plastics are also the determinants of the fate of plastics. It is necessary to know the polymer types of microplastics in all marine environments to understand whether this is so. Most of the studies conducted in this context examine microplastics in sea surface water and on the seabed. Although the highest number of microplastics are found in the seabed and the sea surface water, various studies emphasize that microplastic concentration in coastal ecosystems also increases. The major factor that determines the extent of microplastics in coastal environments is their density and polymer types. Therefore, it is possible that different polymer types of microplastics can be found in different marine compartments depending on their density. This chapter evaluates the presence and diversity of some of the produced microplastics in coastal areas. It can be said that the coastal environments are the main accumulation areas of microplastics, especially for types such as polypropylene and polyethylene, which have the highest production rates.