Microplastics in rivers and coastal waters of the province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador

Mariana V. Capparelli; Jon Molinero; Gabriel M. Moulatlet; Miren Barrado; Santiago Prado-Alcívar; Marcela Cabrera; Giovana Gimiliani; Carolina Ñacato; Veronica Pinos-Velez; Isabel Cipriani-Avila

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113067

Microplastics in rivers and coastal waters of the province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador

Mariana V. Capparelli
, Jon Molinero
, Gabriel M. Moulatlet^*
, Miren Barrado
, Santiago Prado-Alcívar
, Marcela Cabrera
, Giovana Gimiliani
, Carolina Ñacato
, Veronica Pinos-Velez
, Isabel Cipriani-Avila

^*Corresponding author for this work

Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

40 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study represents the first assessment of microplastic (MP) contamination in the coastal area of the Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador. MPs were quantified in 14 coastal waters in beaches with different urbanization level and in 10 rivers. The most abundant MP types were transparent fibres, brown fragments, grey fragments, transparent fragments, and black fragments, which together represented 84% of the total count. Coastal waters presented significantly higher quantities of MP than rivers. No difference in microplastic abundance was detected between beaches with higher and lower urban occupation, nor between beaches facing North or West. Our results indicate that MP contamination is widespread, and most likely transported from multiple sources. Our results can serve as a baseline for future MP monitoring in the area.

Original language	English
Article number	113067
Journal	Marine Pollution Bulletin
Volume	173
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113067
State	Published - Dec 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021

Funding

We would like to thank the Corporación Ecuatoriana para el Desarrollo de la Investigación y Academia—CEDIA for their contribution through the CEPRA project CEPRA-XIV-2020-09: “Determinación del impacto y ocurrencia de Contaminantes Emergentes en ríos de la Costa Ecuatoriana y propuestas de tratamiento para su remoción”. We also thank the grant provided by Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador as part of the Research Project QINV0151-IINV529020200. We are grateful to Oscar Lucas-Solis for his help in the sample processing. We would like to thank the Corporación Ecuatoriana para el Desarrollo de la Investigación y Academia—CEDIA for their contribution through the CEPRA project CEPRA-XIV-2020-09 : “Determinación del impacto y ocurrencia de Contaminantes Emergentes en ríos de la Costa Ecuatoriana y propuestas de tratamiento para su remoción”. We also thank the grant provided by Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador as part of the Research Project QINV0151-IINV529020200 . We are grateful to Oscar Lucas-Solis for his help in the sample processing.

Funders	Funder number
Corporación Ecuatoriana para el Desarrollo de la Investigación y la Academia	CEPRA-XIV-2020-09

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 14 Life Below Water

Keywords

Estuaries
Pacific Ocean
Plastic contamination
Urban beaches

Access to Document

10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113067

Cite this

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title = "Microplastics in rivers and coastal waters of the province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador",

abstract = "This study represents the first assessment of microplastic (MP) contamination in the coastal area of the Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador. MPs were quantified in 14 coastal waters in beaches with different urbanization level and in 10 rivers. The most abundant MP types were transparent fibres, brown fragments, grey fragments, transparent fragments, and black fragments, which together represented 84\% of the total count. Coastal waters presented significantly higher quantities of MP than rivers. No difference in microplastic abundance was detected between beaches with higher and lower urban occupation, nor between beaches facing North or West. Our results indicate that MP contamination is widespread, and most likely transported from multiple sources. Our results can serve as a baseline for future MP monitoring in the area.",

keywords = "Estuaries, Pacific Ocean, Plastic contamination, Urban beaches",

author = "Capparelli, \{Mariana V.\} and Jon Molinero and Moulatlet, \{Gabriel M.\} and Miren Barrado and Santiago Prado-Alc{\'i}var and Marcela Cabrera and Giovana Gimiliani and Carolina {\~N}acato and Veronica Pinos-Velez and Isabel Cipriani-Avila",

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year = "2021",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113067",

language = "English",

volume = "173",

journal = "Marine Pollution Bulletin",

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T1 - Microplastics in rivers and coastal waters of the province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador

AU - Capparelli, Mariana V.

AU - Molinero, Jon

AU - Moulatlet, Gabriel M.

AU - Barrado, Miren

AU - Prado-Alcívar, Santiago

AU - Cabrera, Marcela

AU - Gimiliani, Giovana

AU - Ñacato, Carolina

AU - Pinos-Velez, Veronica

AU - Cipriani-Avila, Isabel

PY - 2021/12

Y1 - 2021/12

N2 - This study represents the first assessment of microplastic (MP) contamination in the coastal area of the Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador. MPs were quantified in 14 coastal waters in beaches with different urbanization level and in 10 rivers. The most abundant MP types were transparent fibres, brown fragments, grey fragments, transparent fragments, and black fragments, which together represented 84% of the total count. Coastal waters presented significantly higher quantities of MP than rivers. No difference in microplastic abundance was detected between beaches with higher and lower urban occupation, nor between beaches facing North or West. Our results indicate that MP contamination is widespread, and most likely transported from multiple sources. Our results can serve as a baseline for future MP monitoring in the area.

AB - This study represents the first assessment of microplastic (MP) contamination in the coastal area of the Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador. MPs were quantified in 14 coastal waters in beaches with different urbanization level and in 10 rivers. The most abundant MP types were transparent fibres, brown fragments, grey fragments, transparent fragments, and black fragments, which together represented 84% of the total count. Coastal waters presented significantly higher quantities of MP than rivers. No difference in microplastic abundance was detected between beaches with higher and lower urban occupation, nor between beaches facing North or West. Our results indicate that MP contamination is widespread, and most likely transported from multiple sources. Our results can serve as a baseline for future MP monitoring in the area.

KW - Estuaries

KW - Pacific Ocean

KW - Plastic contamination

KW - Urban beaches

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85117373455

U2 - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113067

DO - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113067

M3 - Article

C2 - 34688086

AN - SCOPUS:85117373455

SN - 0025-326X

VL - 173

JO - Marine Pollution Bulletin

JF - Marine Pollution Bulletin

M1 - 113067

ER -

Microplastics in rivers and coastal waters of the province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

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Cite this