Microplastic pollution threats the world’s coastal lagoons

Accumulation of waste on the shore of the La Virgen marsh in Cartagena, Colombia. Globally, the coastal lagoons of Lagos (Nigeria), Sakumo (Ghana) and Bizerte (Tunisia) —close to large urban centres and without waste and sewage treatment systems— are among the most affected water ecosystems of this nature by microplastic pollution. However, the highest concentrations of microplastics have been detected in Barnes Sound and other small lagoons in a protected area in the north of Florida Bay (USA), a particular case that can be explained by the transport of microplastics carried by hurricanes from polluted areas. These are some of the conclusions of a study published in the journal Environmental Pollution by PhD candidate Ostin Garcés-Ordóñez —led by Professor Miquel Canals, director of the Consolidated Research Group on Marine Geosciences of the Faculty of Earth Sciences of the UB— and other co-authors. The article, which includes the participation of experts from institutions in Colombia and Chile, reviews the progress of the knowledge on microplastic pollution in coastal lagoons around the world and warns of the abundance of fibres and fragments of polyethylene, polyester and polypropylene in some of these valuable ecosystems. Protected, but also polluted coastal lagoons Coastal lagoons are transitional ecosystems between inland and marine water systems. With a great ecological and socio-economic value, these habitats are also affected by the impact of human activities.