This study estimated the concentration of microplastics (i.e. plastics measuring less than 5mm, reported in unit of pieces/m2) on the beaches of Holbox Island, Mexico from 2018-05-18 to 2018-05-19. Microplastic data were collected using a PVC cylinder. This dataset contains the results from all 40 beach sand samples, in a spreadsheet format.

This study estimated the concentration of microplastics (i.e. plastics measuring less than 5mm, reported in unit of pieces/kg d.w.) on beaches along the eastern Gulf of Thailand from 2019-04-11 to 2019-05-28. Microplastic data were collected using a metal spoon. This dataset contains the results from all 34 sediment samples, in a spreadsheet format.

This study assessed the load of surface microplastics (i.e. plastics less than 5mm, reported in unit of pieces/m^3) abundance at 124 sites in the Mediterranean Sea from 2014-06-03 to 2014-11-08. Microplastics data were collected aboard R/V Tara using manta net, towed at the top 10 cm of the sea surface with an average speed of 2.5-3 knots for 60 minutes. This dataset contains the results from all surface net tows, in a spreadsheet format.

This study estimated the abundance of microplastics (i.e., plastics measuring less than 5mm) on marine turtle nesting beaches during 2018-08-04 to 2020-01-24. Samples were collected with metallic trowel. Sand samples were collected from 209 sites spanning six oceans and 39 countries by a global network of marine turtle scientists. Microplastics were extracted through stacked sieves, visually identified, and a sub-sample verified via Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Microplastic particles were counted and weighed, which in combination with the dry sand sample weight and volume, allowed multiple units of measure to be calculated: Plastic weight per kg of dry sediment (g kg-1), plastic particle number per kg of dry sediment (particle kg-1), and plastic particle number per m-3 of dry sediment (particle m-3). Plastic particles were also categorized into five types: industrial plastic pellets, foams, fragments, sheetlike user plastics and threadlike user plastics. This dataset contains the results from all 209 samples in a spreadsheet format.

This study estimated the amount of microplastics (i.e. plastics measuring less than 5 mm; reported in unit of pieces/m2), mesoplastics (i.e. plastics measuring 5-20 mm; reported in unit of counts/m2), macroplastics (i.e. plastics measuring 20-100 mm; reported in unit of counts/m2), and megaplastics (i.e. plastics measuring over 100 mm; reported in unit of counts/m2) in Maracas Beach, a micro-tidal recreational beach located on the north coast of Trinidad. These plastics were collected from 2015-09-27 to 2016-02-22 during multiple beach profile surveys. This dataset contains the results from all 18 beach surveys, in a spreadsheet format.

This study was carried out to estimate the microplastics (i.e. plastics measuring less than 5mm, reported in unit of pieces/m^3) concentration in surface waters along Manila Bay, Philippines from 2018-10-07 to 2019-02-11. A metallic bucket was used to collect water from 0 to 12 cm below the surface water. Water from the bucket was poured unto stacked stainless sieves with varying mesh sizes. Microplastics were identified and counted under a stereo microscope. This dataset contains the results from all 5 sampling stations, in a spreadsheet format.

This study estimated the load of floating microplastics (i.e. plastics less than 5mm, reported in unit of pieces/m^3) abundance at 33 sites in the Ligurian Sea (NW Mediterranean Sea) from 2013-07-06 to 2013-08-06. Microplastics data were collected using manta net, towed at the top 10 cm of the sea surface with an average speed of 2.5 knots for 60 minutes. This dataset contains the results from all surface net tows, in a spreadsheet format.

This study was carried out to estimate the microplastics (i.e. plastics measuring less than 5mm, reported in unit of pieces/m^3) concentration in the mid-North Pacific Ocean. Microplastics data was collected from 2019-09-19 to 2019-10-30 aboard RV XIANG YANG HONG 03. Microplastics samples were collected using manta net. This dataset contains the results from all 15 sampling stations, in a spreadsheet format.

This data describes the characterisation and estimated concentration of marine plastics in waters around Australia from surface net tows. The marine plastics recorded were predominantly small fragments (‘‘microplastics’’) resulting from the breakdown of larger objects made of polyethylene and polypropylene (e.g. packaging and fishing items). This data accompanies the following publication: Reisser J, Shaw J, Wilcox C, Hardesty BD, Proietti M, et al. (2013) Marine Plastic Pollution in Waters around Australia: Characteristics, Concentrations, and Pathways. PLoS ONE 8(11): e80466. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0080466