Microplastics in the Marine Environment of the Adriatic Sea

Abstract

The widespread use of plastics has led to the accumulation of plastics in all parts of the environment where it adversely affects the ecosystem. Plastic pollution has the biggest impact on the marine ecosystems which assimilate about 12.7 million tons of plastic yearly. Because of incomplete degradation, plastic in marine environment is accumulated in the form of large clusters and microplastic. Microplastic has a harmful impact on marine organisms due to the accumulation of toxic compounds adsorbed on its particles, which could be passed through the food chain and eventually to humans. Certain researches discussed in this paper are focused on the characterization and quantification of microplastic found in the Adriatic Sea.