RT journal article
T1 First Evidence of Mesoplastic Pollution in Beach Sediments of the Moroccan Mediterranean Coast
A1 Azaaouaj, Soria
A1 Er-Ramy, Noureddine
A1 Nachite, Driss
A1 Anfuso Melfi, Giorgio
A2 Ciencias de la Tierra
K1 marine debris
K1 polymer identification
K1 FTIR-ATR
K1 fishing activities
K1 wastewater
AB The problem of marine plastic pollution is multifaceted and poses a serious threat to the ecosystem and human health. This work is the first investigation of mesoplastics (MEPs, 5 mm–2.5 cm) along the most representative beaches of the whole Mediterranean coast of Morocco. Surface sediment samples (0–5 cm), with 3 replicates each, were collected from thirty-three beaches to identify mesoplastic item characteristics (concentration, weight, type, size, color, and nature). The samples were collected between October and November 2021 and a total of 1998 mesoplastics (59.99 g kg−1) were collected from the thirty-three beaches studied. The average concentrations ranged from 20.18 ± 13.93 MEP kg−1 to 0.61 ± 0.61 g kg−1, showing a great variability within each beach and between the beaches investigated. Mesoplastic fragments accounted for 43.92% of the total mesoplastic items, showed sizes from 5 to 10 mm (56.64%) and were predominantly white/transparent (43.36%). Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis revealed that Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS), and Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) were the most common polymers. The present results revealed a moderate level of mesoplastics pollution along the beaches investigated. Fishing, coastal activities, and wastewater discharges were probably the main sources. Furthermore, this study is likely to serve as a scientific baseline for monitoring and tracking mesoplastic pollution on Moroccan beaches
PB MDPI
SN 2073-4441
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/39426
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/39426
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 06-nov-2026