Caracterização de microplásticos em águas da Bacia de Santos e da Baía da Ilha Grande e em esponjas marinhas da espécie Dragmacidon reticulatum (Ridley & Dendy, 1886)

Abstract

Microplastics are found in various regions of the oceans, including coastal zones, open ocean, and deep sea. The study of microplastics is a relatively recent field, receiving increased attention from researchers in the past few decades, particularly in the last ten years. Coastal bays and the surface waters of the open sea are particularly affected by the presence of microplastics. The main objective of this study was to identify, characterize, and describe the abundance and distribution of microplastics in the surface waters of the Santos Basin and the Baía da Ilha Grande, as well as investigate their presence in marine sponges collected from different regions of the Baía da Ilha Grande. The results indicated that both the surface waters of the Santos Basin and the Baía da Ilha Grande, as well as the marine sponges, exhibit some level of microplastic contamination. The microplastics found displayed a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. The concentrations of microplastics varied among the samples collected from all environments and marine sponges, but some discrepancies were not statistically significant. Blue particles were the most common color in the waters of the Santos Basin and the Baía da Ilha Grande, while black was the predominant color in the sponges. However, rigid fragments were the most commonly encountered type of microplastic in all studies. The average size of microplastics in the samples collected from the surface waters of the Baía da Ilha Grande was 285 μm, while in the Santos Basin it was 182.7 μm. The average size of microplastics in the samples from the marine sponges collected in the Baía da Ilha Grande was 90.6 μm. Additionally, it was observed that the Santos Basin exhibited a lower concentration of microplastics compared to the Baía da Ilha Grande. These results highlight the widespread presence of microplastics in the surface waters and marine sponges in the studied regions, emphasizing the need for measures to reduce microplastic contamination and protect marine ecosystems.