Marine plastics on the beaches of Cuddalore coast, Southeast coast of India: A assessment of their abundance during Covid lockdown and post lockdown

Despite their widespread use and versatility, plastics pose a threat to the environment due to emerging contaminants in coastal and marine ecosystems. The present investigation focused on anthropogenic activities like tourism, fishing, and recreation while surveying plastic waste along the Cuddalore the coast. The survey was carried out during the summer season of 2021 (the lockdown) and the post monsoon season (post lockdown) of 2022. During the summer lockdown, station S1 had the highest abundance of plastic with 18.8 & PLUSMN; 5 items/m2, followed by S3 (4.7 & PLUSMN; 1.2 items/m2), S2 (4.3 & PLUSMN; 1.0 items/m2), and S4 (3.6 & PLUSMN; 1.2 items/m2). Nevertheless, after the lockdown, the highest abundance of plastic was observed at station S1 (25.6 & PLUSMN; 3.5 items/m2), followed by S3 (20.9 & PLUSMN; 9.7 items/m2), S2 (17.5 & PLUSMN; 8.5 items/m2), and S4 (14.6 & PLUSMN; 4.9 items/m2). The abundance of plastic items on the study beaches significantly increased (p<0.05) during the post lockdown period. White, translucent, green, yellow, and blue plastic was found in abundance on all four study beaches. To assess the health status, the Clean Coast Index (CCIi), which shows silver beaches (57.08%), Samyarpettai (43.34%), Periyakuppam (34.88%), and Puthukuppm (31.2%), all of which are highly polluted. The abundance of marine plastic trash along the Cuddalore the coast has been significantly affected by extensive fishing, recreation, tourist, and rituals. To better understand marine plastic pollution and the need for better waste management throughout the Indian coast, this study builds a baseline for beach littering and provides an explanatory framework for further study.