From beach litter to microplastics

The project investigates what happens to all the plastic debris that washes ashore on our beaches. The harsh conditions of beaches should favour relatively rapid degradation and fragmentation of larger plastic litter items to microplastics by exposure to UV light, temperature changes and wave action, although the driving forces can vary greatly between locations and seasons.

The aim of this research project is to understand how plastic litter breaks down into microplastics on the beaches, where in the environment the plastic particles end up and how the beach litter affects animals that live in the beach zone and in shallow sea bays. To address this, the project investigates how different plastic litter items planted on beaches break down in the field over time, but also the occurrence of plastics and microplastics on heavily littered beaches on the Swedish west coast. Controlled laboratory experiments simulate how different wave actions, currents and bottom environments affect how plastic debris breaks down and disintegrates, but also how the plastic particles are transported out of the beaches. In addition, the project investigates how the plastic particles are affected by internal processes when passing through the gut of different animals living in the coastal zone. To determine the environmental hazards of beach litter, leaching of harmful plastic additives is investigated, as well as their accumulation in local animals.

The results from the project will contribute to assessing the importance of beach litter as a source of microplastics and the risk they pose. The results can also be used to predict where in the environment the microplastics end up. This is knowledge that is important to be able to make informed decisions in coastal management, e.g. regarding beach cleaning efforts.