Dataset Overview | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Microplastic concentrations on beaches along the western Gulf of Thailand during 2019-09-22 (NCEI Accession 0278060)

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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 western Gulf of Thailand during 2019-09-22. Microplastic data were collected using a metal spoon. This dataset contains the results from all 25 beach samples, in a spreadsheet format.

Dataset Citation

Cite as: Thepwilai, Supakorn; Wangritthikraikul, Kannika; Chawchai, Sakonvan; Bissen, Raphael (2023). Microplastic concentrations on beaches along the western Gulf of Thailand during 2019-09-22 (NCEI Accession 0278060). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0278060. Accessed [date].

Dataset Identifiers

ISO 19115-2 Metadata

gov.noaa.nodc:0278060

Full Text · XML

Download Data	HTTPS (download) Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download. FTP (download) These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP).
Distribution Formats	Excel
Ordering Instructions	Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions.
Distributor	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information +1-301-713-3277 NCEI.Info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information ncei.info@noaa.gov

Time Period	2019-09-22 to 2019-09-22
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates	West: 99.138611 East: 100.4 South: 7.654444 North: 12.360833
Spatial Coverage Map

General Documentation

NCEI Dataset Landing Page
Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links.
Descriptive Information
Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links.

Associated Resources

The NOAA NCEI Global Marine Microplastics Database (1972-present)
- NCEI Collection
  Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download.
Thepwilai S, Wangritthikraikul K, Chawchai S, Bissen R. Testing the factors controlling the numbers of microplastics on beaches along the western Gulf of Thailand. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 2021 Jul 01; 168, 112467.
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112467
  journal article

gov.noaa.nodc:NCEI-Marine-Microplastics

Publication Dates	publication: 2023-05-12
Data Presentation Form	Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns
Dataset Progress Status	Complete - production of the data has been completed Historical archive - data has been stored in an offline storage facility
Data Update Frequency	As needed
Supplemental Information	Submission Package ID: 123CE1
Purpose	These microplastic concentration data were collected in order to determine the abundance of microplastics on beaches along the western Gulf of Thailand during 2019-09-22.
Use Limitations	accessLevel: Public Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives.

Dataset Citation	Cite as: Thepwilai, Supakorn; Wangritthikraikul, Kannika; Chawchai, Sakonvan; Bissen, Raphael (2023). Microplastic concentrations on beaches along the western Gulf of Thailand during 2019-09-22 (NCEI Accession 0278060). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0278060. Accessed [date].
Cited Authors	Thepwilai, Supakorn Chulalongkorn University Wangritthikraikul, Kannika Chawchai, Sakonvan Bissen, Raphael Chulalongkorn University
Contributors	Chulalongkorn University
Resource Providers	Supakorn Thepwilai Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University
Points of Contact	Ebenezer Nyadjro Mississippi State University (MSU)
Publishers	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Acknowledgments	Related Funding Agency: Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI) fund # U_FRB640001_01_21_4

Theme keywords	NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS microplastic concentration NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS in situ laboratory analyses WMO_CategoryCode oceanography Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > WATER QUALITY > SEA SURFACE CONTAMINANTS > MICROPLASTIC CONCENTRATION
Data Center keywords	NODC COLLECTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS Chulalongkorn University NODC SUBMITTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS Chulalongkorn University
Instrument keywords	NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS microscope sediment sieve Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords GRANULOMETRIC SIEVES MICROSCOPES > MICROSCOPES Provider Instruments Metal spoon
Place keywords	NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS Gulf of Thailand Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > WESTERN PACIFIC OCEAN > SOUTH CHINA AND EASTERN ARCHIPELAGIC SEAS
Keywords	NCEI ACCESSION NUMBER 0278060

Use Constraints	Cite as: Thepwilai, Supakorn; Wangritthikraikul, Kannika; Chawchai, Sakonvan; Bissen, Raphael (2023). Microplastic concentrations on beaches along the western Gulf of Thailand during 2019-09-22 (NCEI Accession 0278060). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0278060. Accessed [date].
Access Constraints	Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
Fees	In most cases, electronic downloads of the data are free. However, fees may apply for custom orders, data certifications, copies of analog materials, and data distribution on physical media.

Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps	2023-05-12T18:29:30Z - NCEI Accession 0278060 v1.1 was published.
Output Datasets	NCEI Accession 0278060 v1.1 NCEI Accession 0278060 v1.1 (download) published 2023-05-12T18:29:30Z

Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps	Parameter or Variable: microplastic concentration (measured); Units: pieces/kg d.w.; Observation Category: in situ; Sampling Instrument: Metal spoon; Sampling and Analyzing Method: This study collected microplastic samples from beaches along the western Gulf of Thailand. The Gulf of Thailand is a shallow semi-enclosed bay on the continental shelf of Asia, located between 6◦ to 14◦ N and 99◦ to 105◦ E and can be divided into three parts: eastern, upper, and western Gulf. The study areas are located along the western Gulf of Thailand. The geomorphology of the coastal area is characterized by sandy beaches, coastal wetlands (marshes), rocky coast and tidal flats. The study area covers more than 700 km of coastline. Investigated beaches are generally oriented in north-south direction and exhibit some topographic variation, especially regarding slope. Compared to the eastern Gulf of Thailand, the coastal area of the western Gulf of Thailand is much less industrialized. Main industries are fishing (incl. aquaculture) and plantations (oil palm, orchard, and coffee). Of the 5 provinces examined, Songkhla has the highest number of tourists with on average of 2 million visitors/year, followed by Surat Thani (1.6 million, Kho Samui), Prachuap Khiri Khan (1.5 million, Hua Hin), Nakhon Si Thammarat (1 million) and Chumphon with 350,000 visitors/year. Surat Thani province (incl. islands) has a total of 4 sewage treatment plants (STP), Prachuap Khiri Khan has 3 (Hua Hin: 2), Nakhon Si Thammarat and Songkhla have 2 and Chumpon has 1 STP. Major rivers entering the western Gulf of Thailand are Pran Buri and Kuiburi in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon in Chumphon, Tapi and Pumduang in Surat Thani and Pakphanang in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The study areas were selected based on geographic data from satellite images, ocean surface circulation data (bi-weekly mean values; Surface current Mercator 1/12◦ streamline) provided by ESAGlobCurrent (http://www.globcurrent.org/). Survey and sampling were carried out in late September 2019, during the SW Monsoon (May–October), which is a low season for tourism. The study areas and period were selected specifically to avoid tourist activities in addition to a preference for the absence of additional anthropogenic and/or environmental factors that affect the distribution and accumulation of microplastics. In this study, sand samples were collected from 25 beaches in 5 provinces. Sampling sites were selected with the intent to keep the number of environmental and anthropogenic factors as low as possible. However, they include a variety of activities and land uses, including beaches dominated by conurbations, agriculture, tourism, fishing activity and ecologically sensitive areas. The distance between beaches in each province is approximately 2 km. At each beach, five sand samples were collected along the high-tide line with a distance of 10 m between the sampling locations. Within a 50 by 50 cm quadrat, the top 5 cm of each corner and the center were sampled and subsequently mixed. A total of about 250 g of sand was collected at each sampling location (~1.25 kg per beach) and stored in a sealed plastic container. The samples were transported back to the laboratory and kept at room temperature until extraction. Distilled water was used to clean the metallic spoon after each sampling process. In the laboratory, the sand samples were sieved with a 4-mm metallic sieve (mesh No. 5; no larger particles have been observed on the sieve) and subsequently dried at 60 ◦C for 48 h. Microplastics were extracted from sand samples by density separation using saturated saline solution (density 1.20 g/cm3 at 30–35 ◦C). To prepare the saturated saline solution, 358.9 g of NaCl were dissolved in 1 L of demineralized water. This solution was stirred for 48 h at 600 rpm with a magnetic stirrer at 60 ◦C until the salt was completely dissolved. After the solution had cooled, it was filtered using a vacuum filtration system and Millipore 1.2 μm glass microfiber filters (WHATMAN GF/C™ No. 1822-070) to remove impurities, i.e., microplastics, and remaining suspended salt. To extract the microplastics with a density < 1.20 g/cm3, 200 mL of filtered saline solution were mixed with 50 g of sand (dry weight) and stirred with a magnetic stirrer for 2 min before a subsequent settling time of at least 6 h. The supernatant was carefully poured into a vacuum filtration system and filtered through Millipore 1.2 μm glass microfiber filters (WHATMAN GF/C™ No. 1822-070). The microplastics extraction procedure was executed 3 times for each sample to ensure that the majority of microplastics within the sand samples were recovered. Preparation of the saline solution and the extraction of microplastics has been done at the Geochemistry Laboratory, Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, following Geochemistry Laboratory standards. The dried filters were then examined under a stereomicroscope (MEIJI EMZ-TR) at up to 40× magnification and microplastics were systematically counted.; Data Quality Method: Samples were covered at all stages to avoid airborne contamination. Only glassware laboratory equipment was used. To assess laboratory contamination, we also ran blank tests. This involved using 200 mL of filtered saturated saline solution without sand, following the identical procedure detailed above. This was repeated for each set of extraction. The amount of microplastics found in the blanks was subtracted from the microplastic count..

Lineage information for: dataset

Processing Steps

Parameter or Variable: microplastic concentration (measured); Units: pieces/kg d.w.; Observation Category: in situ; Sampling Instrument: Metal spoon; Sampling and Analyzing Method: This study collected microplastic samples from beaches along the western Gulf of Thailand. The Gulf of Thailand is a shallow semi-enclosed bay on the continental shelf of Asia, located between 6◦ to 14◦ N and 99◦ to 105◦ E and can be divided into three parts: eastern, upper, and western Gulf. The study areas are located along the western Gulf of Thailand. The geomorphology of the coastal area is characterized by sandy beaches, coastal wetlands (marshes), rocky coast and tidal flats. The study area covers more than 700 km of coastline. Investigated beaches are generally oriented in north-south direction and exhibit some topographic variation, especially regarding slope. Compared to the eastern Gulf of Thailand, the coastal area of the western Gulf of Thailand is much less industrialized. Main industries are fishing (incl. aquaculture) and plantations (oil palm, orchard, and coffee). Of the 5 provinces examined, Songkhla has the highest number of tourists with on average of 2 million visitors/year, followed by Surat Thani (1.6 million, Kho Samui), Prachuap Khiri Khan (1.5 million, Hua Hin), Nakhon Si Thammarat (1 million) and Chumphon with 350,000 visitors/year. Surat Thani province (incl. islands) has a total of 4 sewage treatment plants (STP), Prachuap Khiri Khan has 3 (Hua Hin: 2), Nakhon Si Thammarat and Songkhla have 2 and Chumpon has 1 STP. Major rivers entering the western Gulf of Thailand are Pran Buri and Kuiburi in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon in Chumphon, Tapi and Pumduang in Surat Thani and Pakphanang in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The study areas were selected based on geographic data from satellite images, ocean surface circulation data (bi-weekly mean values; Surface current Mercator 1/12◦ streamline) provided by ESAGlobCurrent (http://www.globcurrent.org/). Survey and sampling were carried out in late September 2019, during the SW Monsoon (May–October), which is a low season for tourism. The study areas and period were selected specifically to avoid tourist activities in addition to a preference for the absence of additional anthropogenic and/or environmental factors that affect the distribution and accumulation of microplastics. In this study, sand samples were collected from 25 beaches in 5 provinces. Sampling sites were selected with the intent to keep the number of environmental and anthropogenic factors as low as possible. However, they include a variety of activities and land uses, including beaches dominated by conurbations, agriculture, tourism, fishing activity and ecologically sensitive areas. The distance between beaches in each province is approximately 2 km. At each beach, five sand samples were collected along the high-tide line with a distance of 10 m between the sampling locations. Within a 50 by 50 cm quadrat, the top 5 cm of each corner and the center were sampled and subsequently mixed. A total of about 250 g of sand was collected at each sampling location (~1.25 kg per beach) and stored in a sealed plastic container. The samples were transported back to the laboratory and kept at room temperature until extraction. Distilled water was used to clean the metallic spoon after each sampling process. In the laboratory, the sand samples were sieved with a 4-mm metallic sieve (mesh No. 5; no larger particles have been observed on the sieve) and subsequently dried at 60 ◦C for 48 h. Microplastics were extracted from sand samples by density separation using saturated saline solution (density 1.20 g/cm3 at 30–35 ◦C). To prepare the saturated saline solution, 358.9 g of NaCl were dissolved in 1 L of demineralized water. This solution was stirred for 48 h at 600 rpm with a magnetic stirrer at 60 ◦C until the salt was completely dissolved. After the solution had cooled, it was filtered using a vacuum filtration system and Millipore 1.2 μm glass microfiber filters (WHATMAN GF/C™ No. 1822-070) to remove impurities, i.e., microplastics, and remaining suspended salt. To extract the microplastics with a density < 1.20 g/cm3, 200 mL of filtered saline solution were mixed with 50 g of sand (dry weight) and stirred with a magnetic stirrer for 2 min before a subsequent settling time of at least 6 h. The supernatant was carefully poured into a vacuum filtration system and filtered through Millipore 1.2 μm glass microfiber filters (WHATMAN GF/C™ No. 1822-070). The microplastics extraction procedure was executed 3 times for each sample to ensure that the majority of microplastics within the sand samples were recovered. Preparation of the saline solution and the extraction of microplastics has been done at the Geochemistry Laboratory, Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, following Geochemistry Laboratory standards. The dried filters were then examined under a stereomicroscope (MEIJI EMZ-TR) at up to 40× magnification and microplastics were systematically counted.; Data Quality Method: Samples were covered at all stages to avoid airborne contamination. Only glassware laboratory equipment was used. To assess laboratory contamination, we also ran blank tests. This involved using 200 mL of filtered saturated saline solution without sand, following the identical procedure detailed above. This was repeated for each set of extraction. The amount of microplastics found in the blanks was subtracted from the microplastic count..

Acquisition Information (collection)
Instrument	microscope sediment sieve

Last Modified: 2023-07-09T17:30:42Z
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov

Microplastic concentrations on beaches along the western Gulf of Thailand during 2019-09-22 (NCEI Accession 0278060)

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