Microplastic Pollution along the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area: Local Source Contributions within a Remote Marine Protected Area

Name: Microplastic Pollution along the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area: Local Source Contributions within a Remote Marine Protected Area
Published: 2026-05-22
License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Australia License

Updated: 2026-05-22

This study provides the first quantitative assessment of microplastic (MP) contamination on beaches along the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area (NCWHA; Western Australia), a remote Marine Protected Area of multiple use, including tourism. Sediment collected across seven remote and urbanised beaches were processed using elutriation and density floatation separation, with putative MPs analysed by stereomicroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy