Microplastics found deep in sand where turtles nest

University of Exeter scientists found an average of 5,300 particles of plastic per cubic metre at depths of 60cm (2ft) on beaches in Cyprus used by green turtles and loggerheads. At the surface, up to 130,000 fragments of plastic were found per cubic metre, the second-worst level ever recorded on a beach. 

Researchers say that if conditions worsen such pollution could eventually begin to affect hatching success and even the ratio of male and female turtle hatchling. Microplastics have different physical properties to natural sediments, so high levels could change the conditions at hatching sites. 

Microplastics is defined as less than 5mm in diameter and it come from numerous sources including discarded plastic items that have broken apart, microbeads from cosmetics and microfibres from clothes. Of the microplastics categorised in this research, nurdles (pellets used in the production of plastic products) and hard fragments broken from larger items were the most common.

Source:ScienceDaily by University of Exeter