Distribution and characterization of microplastics in beach sediments from Karnataka (India) coastal environments

Abstract The presence of microplastic particles from five different beach locations (Arabian Sea coast) in the Indian state of Karnataka was assessed. The sieving and density separation method was modified to enhance the yield of microplastics. Three different techniques were used to characterize isolated microplastics, such as optical fluorescence microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and FESEM-EDX. Microplastic concentrations ranged from 264 ± 62 n/kg to 1002 ± 174 n/kg of dry sand in beach sediments, and the average abundance of the five beaches was 664 ± 114 n/kg. The majority of the microplastics were fragmented,