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MARINE DEBRIS ON SELECTED PUBLIC BEACHES IN MALAYSIA DURING DIFFERENT MONSOON SEASONS

Authors:
Julyus Melvin Mobilik at Maritime Transport Training Institute
Julyus Melvin Mobilik
  • Maritime Transport Training Institute
Ruhana Hassan at University of Malaysia, Sarawak
Ruhana Hassan
Teck-Yee Ling at University of Malaysia, Sarawak
Teck-Yee Ling
Mohd-Lokman Bin
Mohd-Lokman Bin
Mohd-Lokman Bin
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Abstract

Marine debris including persistent plastics are widely distributed at the surface and coastal area of the global oceans, but many uncertainties remain about their specific sources, quantities and distribution. Although awareness of the plastic pollution problem has grown in Malaysia, comprehensive studies have not been extensive to document its pollution. This study was designed to assess the amount and distribution of marine debris on eight sandy public beaches in Malaysia. A standard method of beach marine debris survey has been adopted in this study to assess the type and amount of debris on a 1 km section of each beach during the northeast monsoon (NEM), southwest monsoon (SWM) and intermediate monsoon (IM) seasons. Marine debris items were collected and categorized during surveys of the beaches in October/November 2012, May 2013 and July/August 2013. A total of 17,299 items of debris weighing 863 kilograms were collected during the survey period. Kosuhoi (1,205 item/km or 57 kg/km), Tg. Aru (1,077 item/km or 47 kg/km) and Batu Rakit (761 item/km or 39 kg/km) received substantially greater quantities of debris compared to Saujana (684 item/km or 36 kg/km), Pasir Pandak (653 item/km or 27 kg/km), Temasyah (501 item/km or 33 kg/km), Pandan (453 item/km or 27 kg/km) and Tg. Lobang (433 item/km or 23 kg/km) beaches. Plastic category items were the most numerous amounting to 15,080 items (87.17%) followed by timber, rubber, metal, glass and cloth categories contributed 2,219 items (12.83%) in total debris item. Clear plastic bottles and fragments of plastic objects were the most abundant objects collected which contributed 4,706 items (27.20%) from the total item collected in this study. Objects associated directly with marine source were 20.46% whereas those from terrestrial and common sources amounted to 24.52% and 55.02% respectively. Debris was more abundant during SWM (7,383 items) compared to NEM (6,519 items) and IM (3,397 items) seasons.
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Presented at 7th International Symposium Kuroshio Science, Tanjungpura University, Pontianak West Kalimantan, Indonesia, 21-23
Novemner 2013.
MARINE DEBRIS ON SELECTED PUBLIC BEACHES IN MALAYSIA DURING
DIFFERENT MONSOON SEASONS
Julyus-Melvin Mobilik1,*, Ruhana Hassan2, Teck-Yee Ling2, Mohd-Lokman Bin Husain3
1Malaysia Marine Department (Sarawak Region), Lot 683, Seksyen 66, Jalan Utama, Tanah Puteh, 93619
Kuching Sarawak.
2Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Malaysia
3Institute of Oceanography and Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Terengganu,
Terengganu, Malaysia
*Corresponding author: julyus.mobilik@gmail.com
Abstract: Marine debris including persistent plastics are widely distributed at the surface and
coastal area of the global oceans, but many uncertainties remain about their specific sources,
quantities and distribution. Although awareness of the plastic pollution problem has grown in
Malaysia, comprehensive studies have not been extensive to document its pollution. This
study was designed to assess the amount and distribution of marine debris on eight sandy
public beaches in Malaysia. A standard method of beach marine debris survey has been
adopted in this study to assess the type and amount of debris on a 1 km section of each beach
during the northeast monsoon (NEM), southwest monsoon (SWM) and intermediate
monsoon (IM) seasons. Marine debris items were collected and categorized during surveys of
the beaches in October/November 2012, May 2013 and July/August 2013. A total of 17,299
items of debris weighing 863 kilograms were collected during the survey period. Kosuhoi
(1,205 item/km or 57 kg/km), Tg. Aru (1,077 item/km or 47 kg/km) and Batu Rakit (761
item/km or 39 kg/km) received substantially greater quantities of debris compared to Saujana
(684 item/km or 36 kg/km), Pasir Pandak (653 item/km or 27 kg/km), Temasyah (501
item/km or 33 kg/km), Pandan (453 item/km or 27 kg/km) and Tg. Lobang (433 item/km or
23 kg/km) beaches. Plastic category items were the most numerous amounting to 15,080
items (87.17%) followed by timber, rubber, metal, glass and cloth categories contributed
2,219 items (12.83%) in total debris item. Clear plastic bottles and fragments of plastic
objects were the most abundant objects collected which contributed 4,706 items (27.20%)
from the total item collected in this study. Objects associated directly with marine source
were 20.46% whereas those from terrestrial and common sources amounted to 24.52% and
55.02% respectively. Debris was more abundant during SWM (7,383 items) compared to
NEM (6,519 items) and IM (3,397 items) seasons.
KEYWORDS: Marine debris, beach pollution, MARPOL, plastic debris, marine debris
source
... The geomorphological factor that affects marine debris is the flow of rivers (fluvial processes) since the river is the main pathway that carries waste from land to sea . Marine debris can increase during the rainy season due to water discharge increases (Mobilik et al. 2013). Hydro-oceanographic factors that affect marine debris distribution are currents and waves near the coast (Barnes et al. 2009;Purba et al. 2017;Van Sebille et al. 2020). ...
Geomorphological and hydro-oceanographic analysis related to the characteristics of marine debris on the south coast of Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Article
  • Mar 2023
Bantul Regency in Yogyakarta has a shoreline of 16.85 km and is famous for its beach attractions, including Baru and Samas beaches. In Bantul, the Progo river is also recorded in the top 20 rivers globally, contributing to plastic waste pollution in coastal areas. Therefore, the problem of marine debris in Bantul is a serious matter because it can impact the environment and the tourism sector. However, marine debris characteristics in Bantul are still poorly understood. This research aims to determine the characteristics of meso-and macro-sized marine debris, its source and transportation, and the geomorphic and hydro-oceanographic processes that may affect it. A combination of geospatial analysis of high-resolution aerial photographs, field surveys with the transect method, and GIS approaches are used to achieve those objectives. Research shows that the marine debris found at Baru and Samas beaches in Yogyakarta is 149 pieces and 95 pieces, respectively. Macro-sized marine debris was dominantly found in Samas (80%), and meso-sized marine debris was dominantly found in Baru (67%). The total mass of marine debris in Baru and Samas beaches is 129 g and 1722 g, respectively. The vast amount of marine debris and smaller size in Baru is thought to have originated from land and was carried away by fluvial processes in the wider (2462.08 km 2) and more elongated (Rb: 0.355) Progo watershed. Meanwhile, the larger mass of marine debris at Samas may be caused by the reflective beach typology (ε: 52.86), which can carry a higher abundance of marine debris.
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