Academic Journal
Tourism-associated short-term variability of large microplastics on a tropical sandy beach in the Southern Gulf of Mexico.
| Τίτλος: | Tourism-associated short-term variability of large microplastics on a tropical sandy beach in the Southern Gulf of Mexico. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Vallejo Gomez M; División de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Centro, Tabasco, México., Cuevas Díaz MDC; Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Veracruzana, Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, México., Arienzo M; Dipartimento Di Scienze Della Terra, Dell'Ambiente E Delle Risorse, Università Degli Studi Di Napoli Federico II, Complesso Universitario Di Monte Sant'Angelo, Via Cintia 26, 80126, Naples, Italy. michele.arienzo@unina.it., Cucolo C; Dipartimento Di Scienze Chimiche, Università Degli Studi Di Napoli Federico II, Complesso Universitario Di Monte Sant'Angelo, Via Cintia 26, 80126, Naples, Italy., Ferrara L; Dipartimento Di Scienze Chimiche, Università Degli Studi Di Napoli Federico II, Complesso Universitario Di Monte Sant'Angelo, Via Cintia 26, 80126, Naples, Italy., Trifuoggi M; Dipartimento Di Scienze Chimiche, Università Degli Studi Di Napoli Federico II, Complesso Universitario Di Monte Sant'Angelo, Via Cintia 26, 80126, Naples, Italy., Sosa Olivier JA; División de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Centro, Tabasco, México., Laines Canepa JR; División de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Centro, Tabasco, México. jose.laines@ujat.mx. |
| Πηγή: | Environmental monitoring and assessment [Environ Monit Assess] 2026 Jul 21; Vol. 198 (8). Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jul 21. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Springer Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 8508350 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1573-2959 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 01676369 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Environ Monit Assess Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: 1998- : Dordrecht : Springer Original Publication: Dordrecht, Holland ; Boston : D. Reidel Pub. Co., c1981- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Microplastics*/analysis , Water Pollutants, Chemical*/analysis , Environmental Monitoring* , Bathing Beaches* , Tourism*, Gulf of America |
| Περίληψη: | Tourism-associated coastal activities represent an important source of plastic-derived debris in tropical environments; however, baseline information on large microplastics (> 0.84 mm) remains limited in the Southern Gulf of Mexico. This study evaluated short-term variability in the composition and abundance of confirmed large microplastics in beach sediments from Playa Azul, Centla, Tabasco, comparing two contrasting visitation periods. Two 1-week monitoring campaigns representing low- and high-visitation conditions were conducted to assess changes in daily beach debris generation and large-microplastic characteristics. Results showed a marked increase in total beach debris during the high-visitation period, reaching values approximately 25-fold higher than those recorded during the low-visitation period. In contrast, confirmed large-microplastic abundance showed only limited short-term variation, while morphological composition differed between campaigns. Foams and fragments predominated during the low-visitation period, whereas films and fibres increased during the high-visitation period. Carbonaceous particles were recorded separately as non-plastic anthropogenic residues because their polymeric origin was not confirmed by FTIR. Polymer characterization using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed high spectral matches for high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) in foams (95-98%), high-density polyethylene (HDPE) in fragments (90-95%), and polyethylene (PE) in fibres (90-92%). The Microplastic Pollution Index (MPPI) was interpreted as a descriptive screening indicator rather than as a definitive long-term pollution classification. Overall, the findings provide a short-term baseline indicating that visitor pressure was clearly associated with increased total beach debris, whereas large-microplastic abundance and morphology require broader temporal and spatial replication before robust long-term or causal conclusions can be drawn. (© 2026. The Author(s).) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Ethical approval: All authors have read, understood, and have complied as applicable with the statement on “Ethical responsibilities of Authors” as found in the Instructions for Authors. Consent to participate: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Beach litter; Coastal monitoring; FTIR identification; Polymer composition; Sediment pollution; Visitor pressure |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (Microplastics) 0 (Water Pollutants, Chemical) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260720 Date Completed: 20260721 Latest Revision: 20260922 |
| Update Code: | 20260922 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13385079 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10661-026-15678-3 |
| PMID: | 42477160 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1573-2959 |
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| DOI: | 10.1007/s10661-026-15678-3 |