| ABSTRACT Microplastic (MP) pollution in coastal ecosystems is a serious problem throughout the world. In Colombia, there is little information on this issue, especially for the Pacific coast. For these reasons, the density, distribution, and types of MP on the surface of the water were studied in the bay of Buenaventura estuary, Colombia’s main seaport. A total of 36 samples were collected in two estuarine areas: the inner estuary (IE), closest to the main urban area and river mouths, and the external estuary (EE), further away from both areas, during three seasons: rainy, transition, and dry, in 2015 and 2019. On average, the density of the MP increases annually by 28.7 % in the surface waters of Buenaventura Bay. It was also found that the highest... |
