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<p>Tourism-associated coastal activities represent an important source of plastic-derived debris in tropical environments; however, baseline information on large microplastics (&gt; 0.84&#xa0;mm) remains limited in the Southern Gulf of Mexico. This study evaluated short-term variability in the composition and abundance of confirmed large microplastics in beach sediments from Playa Azul, Centla, Tabasco, comparing two contrasting visitation periods. Two 1-week monitoring campaigns representing low- and high-visitation conditions were conducted to assess changes in daily beach debris generation and large-microplastic characteristics. Results showed a marked increase in total beach debris during the high-visitation period, reaching values approximately 25-fold higher than those recorded during the low-visitation period. In contrast, confirmed large-microplastic abundance showed only limited short-term variation, while morphological composition differed between campaigns. Foams and fragments predominated during the low-visitation period, whereas films and fibres increased during the high-visitation period. Carbonaceous particles were recorded separately as non-plastic anthropogenic residues because their polymeric origin was not confirmed by FTIR. Polymer characterization using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed high spectral matches for high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) in foams (95–98%), high-density polyethylene (HDPE) in fragments (90–95%), and polyethylene (PE) in fibres (90–92%). The Microplastic Pollution Index (MPPI) was interpreted as a descriptive screening indicator rather than as a definitive long-term pollution classification. Overall, the findings provide a short-term baseline indicating that visitor pressure was clearly associated with increased total beach debris, whereas large-microplastic abundance and morphology require broader temporal and spatial replication before robust long-term or causal conclusions can be drawn.</p>

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Tourism-associated short-term variability of large microplastics on a tropical sandy beach in the Southern Gulf of Mexico

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月21日

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  • Moisés Vallejo Gomez,
  • María del Carmen Cuevas Díaz,
  • Michele Arienzo,
  • Claudia Cucolo,
  • Luciano Ferrara,
  • Marco Trifuoggi,
  • José Aurelio Sosa Olivier,
  • José Ramón Laines Canepa

摘要

Tourism-associated coastal activities represent an important source of plastic-derived debris in tropical environments; however, baseline information on large microplastics (> 0.84 mm) remains limited in the Southern Gulf of Mexico. This study evaluated short-term variability in the composition and abundance of confirmed large microplastics in beach sediments from Playa Azul, Centla, Tabasco, comparing two contrasting visitation periods. Two 1-week monitoring campaigns representing low- and high-visitation conditions were conducted to assess changes in daily beach debris generation and large-microplastic characteristics. Results showed a marked increase in total beach debris during the high-visitation period, reaching values approximately 25-fold higher than those recorded during the low-visitation period. In contrast, confirmed large-microplastic abundance showed only limited short-term variation, while morphological composition differed between campaigns. Foams and fragments predominated during the low-visitation period, whereas films and fibres increased during the high-visitation period. Carbonaceous particles were recorded separately as non-plastic anthropogenic residues because their polymeric origin was not confirmed by FTIR. Polymer characterization using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed high spectral matches for high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) in foams (95–98%), high-density polyethylene (HDPE) in fragments (90–95%), and polyethylene (PE) in fibres (90–92%). The Microplastic Pollution Index (MPPI) was interpreted as a descriptive screening indicator rather than as a definitive long-term pollution classification. Overall, the findings provide a short-term baseline indicating that visitor pressure was clearly associated with increased total beach debris, whereas large-microplastic abundance and morphology require broader temporal and spatial replication before robust long-term or causal conclusions can be drawn.