Microplastic Contaminants in the Sediment of the East Coast of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Microplastic contamination in the sediment of the east coast of Saudi Arabia was not addressed by any study. The objective of this study is to obtain the first measurement of microplastic abundance at four different beaches on the east coast of Saudi Arabia (Khafji, Jubial, Dammam, and Salwa). Sediment samples were collected from both high tide and low tide zone. A total of 586 microplastic particles were collected from all the sites with an average particle size of 1.55 ± 0.94 mm. The majority of microplastic particles (77%) were less than 2 mm in size. Microplastic abundance ranged from 5.5 ± 1.55 to 21.2 ± 0.68 particle/kg (51.1 ± 14.71 to 152.8 ± 21.32 particle/m2) in low tide region, and from 6.3 ± 4.05 to 16.5 ± 4.98 particle/kg (50.6 ± 31.21 to 204.5 ± 64.15 particle/m2) in high tide region. The most dominant colors were transparent (34%) and blue (30%), while the fiber was the most common shape (96%). Polyethylene terephthalates were the common polymer type of fibers, while polyethylene and high-density polyethylene were common in fragments and filaments.