Occurrence of microplastics in beach water and sediment along the beaches of Melaka coastline

Roslan, Nur Wahidah (2023) Occurrence of microplastics in beach water and sediment along the beaches of Melaka coastline. [Project Paper] (Submitted)

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Abstract

Over time, the microplastics issues in the beach environment become severe. Many researchers began to look into microplastics in the beach environment. However, limited information available on microplastics in beach water and sediment from Malaysia. Objective: To provide an understanding of microplastics pollution in beach water and sediment along the beaches of Melaka coastline. Method: A total of 17 sampling points were selected to collect beach water and sediment samples. Density separation was performed for beach sediment. Beach water was filtered using vacuum pump meanwhile beach sediment was filtered using filter papers. Characteristics of microplastics (size, shapes and colors) in beach water and sediment were examined by Motic SMZ-168 Stereomicroscope and ImageJ 1.51. Result: Microplastics particle size in beach water ranged from 137.37 μm to 934.03 μm meanwhile for beach sediment ranged from 589.19 μm to 1698.22 μm. Transparent (49.76%) was the dominant color in beach water, followed by blue (14.35%), red (13.40%), purple (11.96%), orange (4.78%), black (4.31%), green (0.96%) and yellow (0.48%). The dominant color in beach sediment was purple (52.30%), followed by blue (18.02%), red (13.07%), transparent (7.42%), yellow (6.71%), green and orange at (1.06%) respectively. Fiber (44.97%) was the dominant shape followed by granular (25.36%), fragment (19.62%) and foam (10.05%) in beach water samples. In beach sediment, fiber (80.57%) also the dominant shape followed by fragment (18.37%) and film (1.06%). Based on the independent t-test, this finding demonstrated that the particle size of microplastics in beach water and sediment differs each other in each beach, t (32) = -8.21, p≤0.05. The main potential sources of the microplastics in beach water and sediment from Melaka coastline derived from fishing activities and tourism. Conclusion: Microplastics present in beach water and sediment along Melaka coastline. Thus, the study’s results suggest more research to better understand the microplastic pollution in Melaka coastline. Mitigation measures must be implemented to further prevent the contamination caused by microplastics. Keywords: Microplastics, Beach water, Beach sediment, Melaka

Item Type:	Project Paper
Faculty:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
Depositing User:	Ms Norafizah Radzuan
Date Deposited:	11 Mar 2024 07:05
Last Modified:	11 Mar 2024 07:05
URI:	http://psaspb.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/1639

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