Comparison of Microplastic Pollution in Beach Sediment and Seawater at UNESCO Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve

Abstract

Abstract Microplastics have become a global concern due to their persistent properties and impacts on the marine environment. This research investigates pollution sources and behaviors of microplastics at UNESCO Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve. Density flotation with sodium chloride is employed to extract microplastics from sand at Can Gio Beach, and a double‐filtration procedure is developed to recover microplastics from seawater at the beach and Dong Tranh Cape. The microplastics’ morphology and type are analyzed by micro‐Raman spectroscopy. The results show that microplastics are accumulated at concentrations from 31.99 to 92.56 MPs g −1 at various sand layers. The seawater at Can Gio Beach and Dong Tranh Cape contains 6.44 and 3.75 MPs L −1 of microplastics, respectively. White polyethylene fragments predominate, and all the microplastics comprise small secondary microplastics with a minimum size of 25 µm and a maximum size of 260 µm for fragments and a length of 640 µm for fibers. The proportions of polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and polymethylmethacrylate are similar. The differing percentages of other compositions in sand and seawater are attributed to the morphology and density of the microplastics. The results indicate the extent of microplastic pollution and suggest appropriate strategies for tourism development at the Biosphere Reserve.