Caracterização da poluição por resíduos sólidos na linha-do-deixa em duas praias do litoral norte de Pernambuco

Abstract

Solid waste improperly disposed of on beaches poses risks to health and to the entire marine ecosystem. The objective of this work was to analyze and compare the solid residues found on the beaches of Maria Farinha and Casa Caiada in Pernambuco, evaluating the number of residues, observing possible associations with living beings and identifying the most likely sources. In 2019, three collections were made at each beach, in Maria Farinha, on November 25, at 8:49 am, December 13 and 26, at 10:42 am and 10:30 am respectively; and Casa Caiada, on November 27, at 10:46 am, December 14 and 27, at 11:20 am and 10:46 am, respectively. For the collection, a transect 1 m wide by 10 m long, whose center was the line-of-cue (maximum level of the high tide), was arranged in three points of the beaches, with a distance of 100 m between them. The collected items were quantified, weighed and measured. They were classified according to the composition: plastic, metal, paper, glass and organic, observed using a stereomicroscope to identify possible associated living beings and, finally, the possible sources of the analyzed items were defined. In total 141 items were collected during the three collection days at each beach, 41 at Maria Farinha beach and 100 at Casa Caiada beach. Associations of living beings were found mainly with plastic material residues, these organisms being macroalgae (arribada), microalgae (perifiton), oysters and barnacle, found in Maria Farinha. While at Casa Caiada beach, associations were found with items of plastic and metal material, these being polychaeta and gastropod tubes, respectively. The results show that the pollution comes mainly from what is consumed and discarded by users.