Overview of microplastics abundance in the surface waters of Ghar el Melh and Kalâat el Andalous, Gulf of Tunis  (Tunisia, Mediterranean Sea)

Khouloud BOLTANE; Sana BEN ISMAIL; Hela JAZIRI; Hamdi BEN BOUBAKER; Siwar DABBOUB; Hajer ELMALEH

doi:10.71754/instm.bulletin.v50.1716

Authors

Khouloud BOLTANE INSTM
Sana BEN ISMAIL INSTM https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9421-8363
Hela JAZIRI University of Carthage. National Institute of Marine Science and Technology (INSTM), Goulette Center, Tunis, Tunisia https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6908-0654
Hamdi BEN BOUBAKER University of Carthage. National Institute of Marine Science and Technology (INSTM), Goulette Center, Tunis, Tunisia https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8001-3702
Siwar DABBOUB University of Carthage. National Institute of Marine Science and Technology (INSTM), Goulette Center, Tunis, Tunisia
Hajer ELMALEH

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71754/instm.bulletin.v50.1716

Keywords:

Aquatic environment, Marine Pollution, Microplastics, High Density Polyethylene, FTIR-ATR, Gulf of Tunis, Mediterranean sea

Abstract

Microplastics have been detected in various aquatic environments, such as surface seawater, sediments and aquatic organisms, with specific sampling strategies required for each environment. As part of the scientific work of the Plastic Busters CAP project, a sampling campaign was conducted in the Gulf of Tunis in September 2023, targeting two transects located in Ghar el Melh (T₁) and Kalâat el Andalous (T₂), each comprising three sampling stations. Results revealed that microplastics concentrations in both sampling area varied significantly from 20325.2032 to 104336.043 particles/km². The highest concentration was located at the nearest station to the shoreline T₁-S₁, which remain a strong influence of land-based sources. The most ubiquitous microplastics particles size ranged from 1 to 2.5 mm, indicating a predominance of small-sized debris likely resulting from the fragmentation of larger plastic items. The evaluation of the morphological classification showed a high dominance of film-type and white color microplastics. Polymer data in this study were obtained through spectral characterization using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy-Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR-ATR) mode, revealing that high-density polyethylene (HDPE) was the most abundant polymer in both transects.