Dataset on mesoplastics and microplastics abundances and characteristics from sandy beaches before and after typhoon events in northern Taiwan

Abstract

A comprehensive dataset is presented, which describes the abundance, shapes, and colors of meso- and microplastic particles collected from two sandy beaches situated on the north coast of Taiwan. The sampling of beach sand was conducted repetitively at fixed locations over a time period of 20 months, commencing from April 2018 to November 2019, with the aim of monitoring the variations in distribution and composition of plastic particles. A total of three adjacent transects perpendicular to the waterline were sampled, with bulk sand samples collected from 50 × 50 cm quadrats. The samples were subjected to drying, weighing, and sieving to obtain mesoplastic fractions (5-25 mm) and microplastic fractions (1-5 mm). Visual identification was employed to extract mesoplastic particles, while density separation using a saturated NaCl solution was utilized to extract microplastic particles. The particles were counted visually under a stereo microscope, and subsequently classified based on their shape and color. Any unknown particles were subjected to FTIR spectroscopy. Particle count data are presented as particles per unit area (0.25 m2) but can be converted to particles per kg d.w. by employing the weight of dry sand, as provided in the tables. The dataset encompasses a time series and delineates the changes in particle distribution and composition following extreme weather events. It can be utilized for further research by reanalyzing the data from different perspectives or by incorporating other factors.

Keywords

• Plastic pollution
• Marine litter
• Temporal distribution
• Coast
• Extreme weather events