Marine macro-litter pollution in the Hong Sound sandbar, Bluefields Southern Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua

Abstract

Marine  debris  pollution  is  a  growing  problem,  linked  to  population  growth, consumption  of packaged  products,  and  poor  waste  management,  threatening  biodiversity  and  environmental services in coastal ecosystems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the state of marine debris contamination on the beach of the Hong Sound Sandbar of the Bluefields lagoon, Southern Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua. The research is a descriptive cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, using convenience sampling. On July 21, 2022, sampling was carried out on 1025 m2 of beach. The marine debris  collected  was  classified  according  to  physical  characteristics  into:  plastics (plastic  bottles, plastic bags, plastic foam, and hard plastics), rubber, glass, cloth, processed wood and metal. Later they were weighed using a watch scale with average unit in kilograms. A total of 18,058 kg of marine debris was recorded, with a density of 0.0176 kg/m2, mostly plastic, weighing 13,191 kg, occupying 73.1% of all debris. The types of waste found were plastic, glass and rubber, which are dragged by  the  wind,  currents  or  people  visiting  the  beach. This  dispersion  is  caused  by  poor  solid  waste management  in  human  settlements.  In  the  study  area,  the  greatest  contamination  is  caused  by plastics, and it is necessary to develop strategies to reduce beach pollution by plastics to reduce environmental threats to the existing biodiversity in the study area.