Sources of Small Plastics Delineated on Florida Beaches

Marine plastic pollution is of growing concern as plastic interacts with marine biota, with negative perturbations throughout an ecosystem. Plastic accumulates in ocean gyres from around ocean basins as plastic floats and requires a long weathering process to deteriorate. One such plastic patch collecting particle pieces has been identified in the North West Atlantic off the East Coast of Florida. Conversely, plastic concentrations in the Gulf of Mexico off the West Coast of Florida are much smaller. As abundance of plastics in the ocean increase, often does the abundance in adjacent beach sediment. This study aims to determine if ocean plastic patches can be a source of small (1-15 mm) plastic pieces to beaches and therein impact coastal ecosystems by using the East and West Coasts of Florida as a case study. 10 L sand samples were collected from the strand line at locations on the West and East coasts of South Florida, and the abundance and type of plastic pieces compared. It is expected the abundance of plastic pieces will be higher on the East coast, due to higher concentrations of plastic pieces in the water of the Atlantic, and that the abundance will be higher in areas of higher population density.