Physical characterization of litter and microplastic along the urban coast of Cagayan de Oro in Macajalar Bay, Philippines

Esquinas, Giselle Gina Marie S.; Mantala, Alma P.; Atilano, Marites G.; Apugan, Roan P.; Galarpe, Van Ryan Kristopher R.

Physical characterization of litter and microplastic along the urban coast of Cagayan de Oro in Macajalar Bay, Philippines

2020

Esquinas, Giselle Gina Marie S. | Mantala, Alma P. | Atilano, Marites G. | Apugan, Roan P. | Galarpe, Van Ryan Kristopher R.

There are limited litter and microplastic (MP) studies in the Philippines despite the fact that is has one of the longest shorelines that is possibly threatened by waste disposal. This study was carried out to determine the litter and MP in surface sand samples in a highly urbanized coastal environment of Cagayan de Oro in Macajalar Bay, Philippines. The flotation and stereomicroscope identification methods were employed to study MP, while litters were counted to extrapolate the clean coast index (CCI). Overall, MP fibers were found ubiquitously with site-specific abundance. Particularly, the residential site adjacent to the river mouth had the highest litter and MP fiber counts. The built environment like the seaport showed fragmented forms of MP. Likewise, CCI analysis showed an extremely dirty beachfront (CCI = 85) which mainly caused by plastic litters. Overall, the highly urbanized coastal environment may accumulate a distinct form of plastics. This study is preliminary and may underestimate plastic analysis owing to the limited sampling.

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