Academic Journal
Semi-enclosed estuarine beaches as hotspots of marine litter accumulation: integrating seasonal assessment and hydrodynamic modeling.
| Τίτλος: | Semi-enclosed estuarine beaches as hotspots of marine litter accumulation: integrating seasonal assessment and hydrodynamic modeling. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Maiti B; CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403004, India., Kumar RK; CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403004, India., Panda P; CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403004, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India., De K; CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403004, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India. Electronic address: kalyandeaqua@gmail.com., Mandal S; CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403004, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India., Naik S; CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403004, India. |
| Πηγή: | Marine pollution bulletin [Mar Pollut Bull] 2026 Nov; Vol. 232, pp. 120031. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jun 25. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0260231 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1879-3363 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 0025326X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Mar Pollut Bull Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: 2003- : Oxford : Elsevier Original Publication: London, Macmillan. |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Environmental Monitoring* , Estuaries* , Bathing Beaches*, Seasons ; India ; Hydrodynamics ; Plastics ; Seashore |
| Περίληψη: | Anthropogenic marine litter has emerged as one of the most pervasive environmental problems worldwide, exerting multifaceted ecological, economic, and social impacts. This study assessed the seasonal dynamics and composition of beached litter on urbanized tropical beaches located within a semi-enclosed estuarine bay system along the west coast of India. A total of 5695 litter items were recorded, with the highest abundance observed during the monsoon season (N = 3571; 14.28 ± 0.54 items. m-2), followed by post-monsoon (N = 1080; 4.32 ± 0.80 items m-2) and pre-monsoon (N = 1044; 4.17 ± 0.79 items m-2). Across all seasons, plastics consistently dominated the litter composition, representing more than 90% of the total litter items. Seasonal differences in litter density were statistically significant, with litter densities during the monsoon season being markedly higher than those recorded during the pre- and post-monsoon periods, indicating the important role of enhanced river discharge, surface runoff, and hydrodynamic transport processes in driving litter accumulation along estuarine beaches. Beach environmental quality was evaluated using multiple environmental indices, including the Clean Coast Index (CCI), Clean Environment Index (CEI), Plastic Abundance Index (PAI), Hazardous Item Index (HII), Pollution Load Index (PLI), and Environmental Status Index (ESI), which consistently revealed the poor environmental quality and elevated pollution risk, particularly during the monsoon. The Delft3D FM modeling framework demonstrated that local hydrodynamic processes govern the advection, retention, and redistribution of anthropogenic litter. Source apportionment analysis revealed that land-based activities contributed more than 75% of total litter across all seasons, driven by urban runoff, tourism, and inadequate waste management. The study underscores the urgent need for comprehensive waste management strategies and seasonal intervention measures to mitigate litter impacts on tropical coastal systems. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Environmental indices; Estuarine Bay; Macroplastic; Marine debris; Plastic pollution |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (Plastics) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260625 Date Completed: 20260915 Latest Revision: 20260915 |
| Update Code: | 20260915 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2026.120031 |
| PMID: | 42349297 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1879-3363 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2026.120031 |