Microplastic Contamination in the Intertidal Zone of Rye Beach

Abstract

Plastic makes up about 10% of solid waste and is estimated to make up 80% or more of waste found on land, ocean surface, and shorelines (Barnes et al., 2009). Microplastics are a synthetic polymer-based material that are produced or broken down to 1 µm to 5 mm in size (Frias & Nash, 2019). Through the food web, microplastics can bioaccumulate and humans can potentially consume these organisms and absorb the additives and contaminants that come with microplastics (Vázquez & Rahman, 2021). Intertidal zones of beaches tend to accumulate microplastics due to the impact of human activity (Asadi et al., 2019). This study quantified the abundance and size of microplastic fibers within the different elevations of the intertidal zone at Rye Beach. Sand samples were collected at the low, mid and high elevations of the intertidal zone. We used density separation and filtration to isolate the microplastic fibers, and viewed filters under a digital microscope to quantify the microplastics. We found no significant difference in microplastic fiber length or density within the intertidal zone. The data obtained in conjunction with further studies on microplastic abundance can help identify how and where to focus efforts in plastic management on a larger scale to reduce the creation of microplastics.