Fragmented marine plastics as the prevalent litter type on a small island beach in the Adriatic.

The issue of plastic pollution has dramatically intensified in the recent years. Our study investigates extensive plastic contamination of a sandy beach on a small Adriatic island. The beach was sampled on three occasions, in 2013, 2020 and 2022, using 1 m quadrats placed along the lower and upper strandlines, resulting in average litter concentrations of 385 ± 106, 1095 ± 522 and 129 ± 37 item m, respectively.

Microplastic pollution in the intertidal and subtidal sediments of Vava'u, Tonga.

Plastic pollution research on a global scale intensified considerably in the current decade; however, research efforts in the South Pacific are still lagging. Here, we report on microplastic contamination of intertidal and subtidal sediments in the Vava'u archipelago, Tonga. While providing the first baseline data of its type in Tonga, the study also advances methods and adjusts them for low-budget research.