The amount and type of plastics in the Baiya Beach after the Palu Bay tsunami

Abstract

Plastic is a material that cannot naturally be decomposed. The increase in the amount of marine litter is influenced by currents, winds, tides and tsunamis at certain locations. The purpose of this study was to study marine litter on the Baiya beach, Palu Bay using a rapid beach survey from the pre and post tsunami time of Palu Bay on September 28 2018. The results of monitoring the amount of marine litter before the tsunami at Baiya Beach in 2017 contained 4 meso litter materials with 10 litter types. There were 6 materials of macro litter, found 24 litter types. After the Palu Bay Tsunami in 2018, monitoring in 2019 found 9 materials of meso and macro with 31 litter types. Monitoring in 2020 found 9 meso litter materials with 19 litter types. There were 9 materials of macro, found 29 litter types. The plastic increase in marine litter on Baiya beach during monitoring was dominated by PL24 (other plastics) and the tsunami incident increased the litter type of plastic.