Microlitter pollution in coastal sediments of the northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy: microplastics and fly-ash occurrence and distribution

Marine litter is included in the eleven descriptors of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) necessary for the assessment of the marine environmental status. In this work, we studied the abundance and typology of microparticles extracted from coastal sediments in the northern Latium area, Tyrrhenian sea, Italy. Particles having different shapes (fragments, microspheres, and filaments), size and color were recognized to belong to two typologies, i.e. microplastics (MPs) and aluminum silicate microspheres (ASMs) interpreted as fly-ash produced by fossil fuel combustion. MPs abundances were comparable with data from the literature related to the same depositional contexts in the Mediterranean Sea and elsewhere, while ASMs contributed 32% to the total average microlitter abundance in this coastal area. MPs and ASMs distribution could reflect the contributions of the land-based sources and the hydrodynamic features of the study area. •MPs average abundance (272.8 ± 44 MP/kg d. w.) is comparable to literature data.•ASMs are fly-ash produced by fossil fuel combustion.•ASMs contribute 32% to the total average microlitter abundance.•MPs and ASMs distribution reflects the hydrodynamic features of the study area.