Small microplastics on beaches of Fernando de Noronha Island, Tropical Atlantic Ocean

Authors

  • Raqueline Cristina Pereira Monteiro Universidade Federal do Pará
  • Juliana Assunção Ivar do Sul Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
  • Monica Ferreira Costa Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/S2675-28242020068235

Keywords:

Plastic pollution, Oceanic islands, Marine conservation, Atlantic Ocean, Brazil

Abstract

Oceanic islands are important areas of environmental, social, economic, and scientific interest. Therefore, it is essential to identify pollutants in these environments, including large (1 mm to ≤ 5 mm) and small microplastics (SMP) (1 μm to ≤ 1 mm). Here, SMP were identified and characterized in the windward (WW) and leeward (LW) beaches of Fernando de Noronha Island. Samples were collected from 900 cm2 quadrants on the strandline of 15 sandy beaches and were sieved through stainless steel sieves with 1 mm mesh. The SMP were characterized according to their shape, colour, and size. Synthetic fibres and fragments were identified, and synthetic fibres were predominant. Statistical differences were not found between the WW and LW beaches (160.0±137.5 particles m-2 and 128.0±84.3 particles m-2, respectively; Mann-Whitney U test: U=198.5; p=0.81) in relation to the total amount of SMP deposited on the beaches. Also, both types/ shapes were present in the two groups of beaches (Friedman’s test, X2 r=6.09; p=0.91). The environmental forcings controlling the transport and potential deposition of synthetic fibres may have been different from those acting on fragments that more resembled the grains of sand in the beaches. Although it is difficult to prevent allochthonous sources of SMP at the small scale, management actions on the island are mandatory to prevent autochthonous sources.

References

BARBOZA, L. G. A., VETHAAK, A. D., LAVORANTE, B. R., LUNDEBYE,

A. K. & GUILHERMINO, L. 2018. Marine microplastic debris:

An emerging issue for food security, food safety and human

health. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 133, 336-348.

BARCELLOS, R. L., COELHO-JÚNIOR, C., LINS, S. R. R. M., SILVA, M. S.,

CAMARGO, P. B. & TRAVASSOS, P. E. P. F. 2011. Island beaches

morphological and sedimentary short term variations – the

case of SE Fernando de Noronha Island, South Atlantic, Brazil.

Journal of Integrated Coastal Zone Management, 11, 471-478

BARNES, D. K., GALGANI, F., THOMPSON, R. C. & BARLAZ, M. 2009.

Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society

B, Biological Sciences, 364, 1985-1998.

BELLINI, C. & SANCHES, T. M. 1996. Reproduction and feeding

of marine turtles in the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago,

Brazil. Marine Turtle Newsletter, 74, 12-13.

BERGMANN, M., MÜTZEL, S., PRIMPKE, S., TEKMAN, M. B.,

TRACHSEL, J. & GERDTS, G. 2019. White and wonderful?

Microplastics prevail in snow from the Alps to the Arctic.

Science Advances, 5, 1157.

BESSA, F., BARRÍA, P., NETO, J. M., FRIAS, J. P., OTERO, V., SOBRAL,

P. & MARQUES, J. C. 2018. Occurrence of microplastics in

commercial fish from a natural estuarine environment.

Marine Pollution Bulletin, 128, 575-584.

BESSELING, E., WEGNER, A., FOEKEMA, E. M., VAN DEN HEUVELGREVE, M. J. & KOELMANS, A. A. 2013. Effects of Microplastic on

Fitness and PCB Bioaccumulation by the Lugworm Arenicola

marina (L.). Environmental Science & Technology, 47, 593-600.

BOUCHER, J. & FRIOT, D. 2017. Primary Microplastics in the Oceans:

A Global Evaluation of Sources, Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.

BROWNE, M. A., CRUMP, P., NIVEN, S. J., TEUTEN, E., TONKIN,

A., GALLOWAY, T. & THOMPSON, R. 2011. Accumulation of

microplastic on shorelines worldwide: Sources and sinks.

Environmental Science and Technology, 45, 9175-9179.

CALLIARI, L. J., PEREIRA, P. S., SHORT, A. D., SOBRAL, F. C., MACHADO,

A. A., PINHEIRO, Y. G. & FITZPATRICK, C. 2016. Sandy Beach of

Brazilian Oceanic Islands. Brazilian Beach Systems, 543-571.

CHEN, Q., LI, Y. & LI, B. 2020. Is color a matter of concern

during microplastic exposure to Scenedesmus obliquus

and Daphnia magna?. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 383,

-224.

CIRANO, M., MATA, M. M., CAMPOS, E. J. D. & DEIRÓ, N. F. R. 2006.

A Circulação oceânica de larga-escala na região oeste do

Atlântico Sul com base no modelo de circulação global

OCCAM. Revista Brasileira de Geofísica, 24, 209-230.

COSTA, L. L., ARUEIRA, V. F., DA COSTA, M. F., DI BENEDITTO, A. P. M. &

ZALMON, I. R. 2019. Can the Atlantic ghost crab be a potential

biomonitor of microplastic pollution of sandy beaches

sediment? Marine Pollution Bulletin, 145, 5-13.

COSTA, M. F., IVAR DO SUL, J. A., SILVA-CAVALCANTI, J. S., ARAÚJO,

M. C. B., SPENGLER, Â. & TOURINHO, P. S. 2010. On the

importance of size of plastic fragments and pellets on the

strandline: a snapshot of a Brazilian beach. Environmental

Monitoring and Assessment, 168, 299-304.

CRISTIANO, S. C., ROCKETT, G. C., PORTZ, L. C. & SOUZA FILHO,

J. R. 2020. Beach landscape management as a sustainable

tourism resource in Fernando de Noronha Island (Brazil).

Marine Pollution Bulletin, 150, 110-621.

DEBROT, A. O., VAN RIJN, J., BRON, P. S. & DE LEÓN, R. 2013. A

baseline assessment of beach debris and tar contamination

in Bonaire, Southeastern Caribbean. Marine Pollution Bulletin,

, 325-329.

DOMINGUEZ, P. S., ZEINEDDINE, G. C., ROTUNDO, M. M.,

BARRELLA, W. & RAMIRES, M. 2016. A pesca artesanal no

Arquipélago de Fernando de Noronha (PE). Boletim do

Instituto de Pesca, 42, 241-251.

DRIS, R., GASPERI, J., SAAD, M., MIRANDE, C. & TASSIN, B.

Synthetic fibers in atmospheric fallout: A source of

microplastics in the environment? Marine Pollution Bulletin,

, 290-293.

EDO, C., TAMAYO-BELDA, M., MARTÍNEZ-CAMPOS, S., MARTÍNBETANCOR, K., GONZÁLEZ-PLEITER, M., PULIDO-REYES,

G., GARCÍA-RUIZ, C., ZAPATA, F., LEGANÉS, F., FERNÁNDEZPIÑAS, F. & ROSAL, R. 2019. Occurrence and identification

of microplastics along a beach in the Biosphere Reserve of

Lanzarote. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 143, 220-227.

ESTON, V. R., MIGOTTO, A. E., OLIVEIRA FILHO, E. C., RODRIGUES, S.

A. & FREITAS, J. C. 1986. Vertical distribution of benthic marine

organisms on rocky coasts of the Fernando de Noronha

archipelago (Brazil). Boletim do Instituto Oceanográfico, 34,

-53.

GIGAULT, J., TER HALLE, A., BAUDRIMONT, M., PASCAL, P. Y.,

GAUFFRE, F., PHI, T. L., EL HADRI, H., GRASSL, B. & REYNAUD, S.

Current opinion: What is a nanoplastic? Environmental

Pollution, 235, 1030-1034.

GUSMÃO, F., DI DOMENICO, M., AMARAL, A. C. Z., MARTÍNEZ, A.,

GONZALEZ, B. C., WORSAAE, K., IVAR DO SUL, J. A. & CUNHA

LANA, P. 2016. In situ ingestion of micro fibres by meiofauna

from sandy beaches. Environmental Pollution, 216, 584-590.

HU, D., SHEN, M., ZHANG, Y., LI, H. & ZENG, G. 2019. Microplastics

and nanoplastics: would they affect global biodiversity

change? Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 26,

-20002.

IBGE (INSTITUTO BRASILEIRO DE GEOGRAFIA E ESTATÍSTICA).

Censo Demográfico 2010. Rio de Janeiro, IBGE.

IMHOF, H. K., LAFORSCH, C., WIESHEU, A. C., SCHMID, J., ANGER,

P. M., NIESSNER, R. & IVLEVA, N. P. 2016. Pigments and plastic

in limnetic ecosystems: A qualitative and quantitative study

on microparticles of different size classes. Water Research, 98,

-74.

IMHOF, H. K., SIGL, R., BRAUER, E., FEYL, S., GIESEMANN, P., KLINK,

S., LEUPOLZ. K., LÖDER, M. G., LÖSCHEL, L. A., MISSUN, J.,

MUSZYNSKI, S., RAMSPERGER, A. F., SCHRANK. I., SPECK, S.,

STEIBL, S., TROTTER, B., WINTER, I. & LAFORSCH, C. 2017. Spatial

and temporal variation of macro-, meso- and microplastic

abundance on a remote coral island of the Maldives, Indian

Ocean. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 116, 340-347.

IVAR DO SUL, J. A., COSTA, M. F., BARLETTA, M. & CYSNEIROS, F. J.

A. 2013. Pelagic microplastics around an archipelago of the

Equatorial Atlantic. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 75, 305-309.

IVAR DO SUL, J. A., COSTA, M. F. & FILLMANN, G. 2017. Occurrence

and characteristics of microplastics on insular beaches in the

Western Tropical Atlantic Ocean. PeerJ Preprints, 1-11.

IVAR DO SUL, J. A., SPENGLER, Â. & COSTA, M. F. 2009. Here,

there and everywhere. Small plastic fragments and pellets

on beaches of Fernando de Noronha (Equatorial Western

Atlantic). Marine Pollution Bulletin, 58, 1236-1238.

LAVERS, J. L., DICKS, L., DICKS, M. R. & FINGER, A. 2019. Significant

plastic accumulation on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands,

Australia. Scientific Reports, 9, 7102.

LEE, J., HONG, S., SONG, Y. K., HONG, S. H., JANG, Y. C., JANG,

M., HEO, N. W., HAN, G. M., LEE, M. J., KANG, D. & SHIM, W. J.

Relationships among the abundances of plastic debris

in different size classes on beaches in South Korea. Marine

Pollution Bulletin, 77, 349-354.

LIMA, E. C. A. & ZEPPELINI, D. 2015. First survey of Collembola

(Hexapoda: Entognatha) fauna in soil of Archipelago Fernando

de Noronha, Brazil. Florida Entomologist, 98, 368-369.

LINK, J., SEGAL, B. & CASARINI, L. M. 2019. Abandoned, lost

or otherwise discarded fishing gear in Brazil: A review.

Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation, 17, 1-8.

LIRA, S. M. A., TEIXEIRA, I. Á., LIMA, C. D. M., SANTOS, G.

S., LEITÃO, S. N. & SCHWAMBORN, R. 2014. Spatial

and nycthemeral distribution of the zooneuston off

Fernando de Noronha, Brazil. Brazilian Journal of

Oceanography, 62, 35-45.

MAAß, S., DAPHI, D., LEHMANN, A. & RILLIG, M. C. 2017. Transport

of microplastics by two collembolan species. Environmental

Pollution, 225, 456-459.

MANSO, V. D. A. V., MENOR, E. D. A., VALENÇA, L. M. M., NEUMANN,

V. H. D. M. L., PEREIRA, N. S., JUNIOR, C. F. A. S. & SILVA, E. R.

M. 2011. Morfodinâmica de Praias Setentrionais da Ilha de

Fernando do Noronha. Journal of Integrated Coastal Zone

Management, 11, 327-339.

MARTINS, J. & SOBRAL, P. 2011. Plastic marine debris on the

Portuguese coastline: A matter of size? Marine Pollution

Bulletin, 62, 2649-2653.

MISHRA, S., RATH, C. C. & DAS, A. P. 2019. Marine microfiber

pollution: A review on present status and future challenges.

Marine Pollution Bulletin, 140, 188-197.

MOHR, L. V, CASTRO, J. W. A., COSTA, P. M. S. & ALVES, R. J. V. 2009.

Ilhas oceânicas brasileiras: da pesquisa ao manejo - volume II.

Brasília: MMA/Secretaria de Biodiversidade e Florestas.

MONTEIRO, R. C. P., IVAR DO SUL, J. A. & COSTA, M. F. 2018. Plastic

pollution in islands of the Atlantic Ocean. Environmental

Pollution, 238, 103-110.

PALACIOS-VARGAS, J. G., LIMA, E. C. A. & ZEPPELINI, D. 2013. A

New Species of Isotogastrura (Collembola: Isotogastruridae)

from Northeastern Brazil. Florida Entomologist, 96, 1579-

RYAN, P. G., DILLEY, B. J., RONCONI, R. A. & CONNAN, M.

Rapid increase in Asian bottles in the South

Atlantic Ocean indicates major debris inputs from ships.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116,

-20897.

SCHMUCK, A. M., LAVERS, J. L., STUCKENBROCK, S., SHARP, P.

B. & BOND, A. L. 2017. Geophysical features in fluence the

accumulation of beach debris on Caribbean islands. Marine

Pollution Bulletin, 121, 45-51.

SCHNURR, R. E., ALBOIU, V., CHAUDHARY, M., CORBETT, R. A., QUANZ,

M. E., SANKAR, K., SRAIN, H., THAVARAJAH, V., XANTHOS, D. &

WALKER, T. R. 2018. Reducing marine pollution from single-use

plastics (SUPs): A review. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 137, 157-171.

SERAFINI, T. Z., FRANÇA, G. B. & ANDRIGUETTO-FILHO, J. M.

Ilhas oceânicas brasileiras: biodiversidade conhecida

e sua relação com o histórico de uso e ocupação humana.

Revista da Gestão Costeira Integrada, 10, 281-301.

STRAMMA, L. & ENGLAND, M. 1999. On the water masses and

mean circulation of the South Atlantic Ocean. Journal of

Geophysical Research, 104, 20863-20883.

TCHAMABI, C. C., ARAUJO, M., SILVA, M. & BOURLÈS, B. 2017.

A study of the Brazilian Fernando de Noronha island and

Rocas atoll wakes in the tropical Atlantic. Ocean Modelling,

, 9-18.

VAN CAUWENBERGHE, L., DEVRIESE, L., GALGANI, F., ROBBENS,

J. & JANSSEN, C. R. 2015. Microplastics in sediments: A

review of techniques, occurrence and effects. Marine

Environmental Research, 111, 5-17.

VAN WIJNEN, J., RAGAS, A. M. J. & KROEZE, C. 2019. Modelling

global river export of microplastics to the marine

environment: Sources and future trends. Science of the Total

Environment, 673, 392-401.

WANG, W., GAO, H., JIN, S., LI, R. & NA, G. 2019. The

ecotoxicological effects of microplastics on aquatic

food web, from primary producer to human: A review.

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 173, 110-117.

YOUNG, A. M. & ELLIOTT, J. A. 2016. Characterization of

microplastic and mesoplastic debris in sediments from

Kamilo Beach and Kahuku Beach, Hawai. Marine Pollution

Bulletin, 113, 477-482.

Downloads

Published

15.06.2021

How to Cite

Small microplastics on beaches of Fernando de Noronha Island, Tropical Atlantic Ocean. (2021). Ocean and Coastal Research, 68, 10. https://doi.org/10.1590/S2675-28242020068235