This study provides an integrative analysis of the socio-economic factors that characterise the beach litter distribution in continental Portugal and the Azores archipelago. The results from the study highlighted that the most abundant beach litter material found was plastic (92.9%), followed by paper (2.2%), wood (1.5%), and metal (1.3%), and that the majority of the items could not be attributed to a specific source. The top-three beach litter categories identified were small plastic pieces (0–2.5 cm, 43.5%), cigarette butts (30.1%), and medium plastic pieces (2.5–50 cm, 26.4%). A positive relationship was also found between the municipality, environmental expenditures, population density, and the quantity and typology of litter. Beach litter quantity and categories were also associated with specific economic sectors as well as with geographical and hydrodynamic conditions, demonstrating the utility of the technique and its applicability to other regions. This study provides an integrative analysis of the socio-economic factors that characterise the beach litter distribution in continental Portugal and the Azores archipelago. The results from the study highlighted that the most abundant beach litter material found was plastic (92.9%), followed by paper (2.2%), wood (1.5%), and metal (1.3%), and that the majority of the items could not be attributed to a specific source. The top-three beach litter categories identified were small plastic pieces (0–2.5 cm, 43.5%), cigarette butts (30.1%), and medium plastic pieces (2.5–50 cm, 26.4%). A positive relationship was also found between the municipality, environmental expenditures, population density, and the quantity and typology of litter. Beach litter quantity and categories were also associated with specific economic sectors as well as with geographical and hydrodynamic conditions, demonstrating the utility of the technique and its applicability to other regions.
The current study examines the contamination of microplastics in three greenhouse types: abandoned, normal, and simple. The findings revealed that the abundance of microplastics was found to be the highest in the abandoned greenhouse, followed by the normal greenhouse and simple greenhouse. The mean abundance of microplastic organic fertilizer and irrigation water was also high.[…]
The study examines the distribution of residual film after eight years of film mulching in mid-April 2018. Results from the study revealed that eight years of mulching significantly increased the quantity of agricultural mulch film residues in the soil. The size of residual film fragments was found to vary from 0.25 cm2 to 109 cm2,[…]
A study in Yuanmou County, Yunnan Province, investigated microplastic pollution in different land uses, including facility farmland, traditional farmland, orchard, grassland, and woodland. Results showed a significant difference in microplastic abundance and characteristics between different land use types. Facility farmlands, traditional farmlands, and orchard lands had higher microplastic abundance than grasslands and woodlands. The main[…]
The study analysed 225 soil samples from maize planting zones in northern China, revealing that long-term plastic film mulching increases microplastic pollution in agricultural soils. The abundance of microplastics was significantly higher in mulched soils (754 ± 477 items kg-1) than in non-mulched soils (376 ± 149 items kg-1). The length of time with film[…]
The study examined the relative abundances and morphological distributions of microplastics (MPs) in water, sediments, and farmland soils in the Caohai Lake region. The estuary in the study area was considered a potential sink for MP transportation. Transparent and black MPs accounted for a large proportion of MPs in the five environments, with possible sources[…]