Publication: Marine Macroplastic And Microplastic Litter In The Coastal Region Of Northern Straits Of Malacca
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Date
2025-04
Authors
Odli, Zaity Syazwani Mohd
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Abstract
Plastic pollution along the coastal area has long been a threat to the ecosystem and one of the crucial issues repeatedly in debates. This study investigated the distribution and composition of macroplastic (>5 mm) and microplastic (<5 mm) from six locations in the coastal region of northern straits of malacca providing a prediction of microplastic distribution in sediment from macroplastic distribution on the beach. A 100 m transect was used to collect marine litter and a quadrat of 0.5 m x 0.5 m with a depth of 0.05 m was used to collect sediment for microplastic identification. The highest percentage of macro litter collected was plastic (73.8%), followed by glass (12%) fabric (7.8%), rubber (4.4%), wood (2%) and metal (0.07%). The total weight of macroplastic litter and microplastic abundance in 2018 and 2020 were 80.371 g/m2 and 11.095 g/m3. Abundance of macro- and microplastic was found to be higher in surface sediment during neap compared to spring tidal conditions, reflecting enhanced deposition during calmer water periods. Since almost 95% of microplastic was secondary microplastic (fragments, films, foams, and fibers), it was probably from the fragmentation of larger plastics. The distribution of plastic types was pe (45%), pp (41%), ps (14%), pet (0.3%) and pu (0.2%). Calculated r2 of 0.744 shows a significant relationship between macroplastic and microplastic at a 95% significance level.
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Microplastics