Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Spatial and Temporal Deposition Rate of Beach Litter in Cadiz Bay (SW Spain)

Elisabetta Ciufegni
,
Giorgio Anfuso
* ORCID logo ,
Julia Cristina Gutiérrez Romero
,
Francisco Asensio-Montesinos
ORCID logo ,
Christian Rodríguez Castle
,
Carlos J. González
ORCID logo ,
Oscar Álvarez
Version 1 : Received: 4 December 2023 / Approved: 4 December 2023 / Online: 4 December 2023 (14:18:45 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Ciufegni, E.; Anfuso, G.; Gutiérrez Romero, J.C.; Asensio-Montesinos, F.; Rodríguez Castle, C.; González, C.J.; Álvarez, O. Spatial and Temporal Deposition Rate of Beach Litter in Cadiz Bay (Southwest Spain). Sustainability 2024, 16, 1010. Ciufegni, E.; Anfuso, G.; Gutiérrez Romero, J.C.; Asensio-Montesinos, F.; Rodríguez Castle, C.; González, C.J.; Álvarez, O. Spatial and Temporal Deposition Rate of Beach Litter in Cadiz Bay (Southwest Spain). Sustainability 2024, 16, 1010.

Abstract

This study investigates the spatial and temporal distribution of litter at 7 beach sectors in Cadiz Bay, Southwest Spain. Two ten-day surveys carried out in autumn 2022 and spring 2023 revealed a total of 4,199 and 4,634 items, respectively, with plastic being the predominant material (71.13% in autumn, 88.39% in spring). Litter quantities varied significantly among beaches, La Puntilla showing the highest abundance with 0.48 ± 0.25 items m-1 in autumn and 1.34 ± 0.61 items m-1 in spring. The lowest abundance was recorded at sector 1 of Valdelagrana beach (0.08 ± 0.06 items m-1) during autumn and at El Castillito beach (0.08 ± 0.04 items m-1) during spring. Statistical analyses did not reveal significant differences in litter quantities between autumn and spring, however high significant interaction was shown considering both season and beach lo-cation. Seasonal differences were also observed in litter composition. Litter categories increased from 90 in autumn to 107 in spring. The top 10 litter categories varied between seasons and included cigarette butts, plastic fragments and plastic packaging. Cigarette butts were principally abundant in autumn because re-lated to summer beach users and wet wipes were particularly observed in spring because linked to wastewaters and river discharges especially relevant in winter months. Hydrodynamic and wind conditions were analyzed, revealing complex relationships with litter abundance.

Keywords

wave; wind; plastic; wet wipes; cigarette butts; cleaning operations

Subject

Environmental and Earth Sciences, Pollution

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Download PDF

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0
Get PDF Cite Share 0
Bookmark BibSonomy Mendeley Reddit Delicious
×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.