Data for: Sources, spatial distribution and abundance of marine debris in Thondi, Palk Bay, Southeast coast of India

The Thondi coast is a rich source of valuable natural marine resources, as well as many socioeconomically significant activities like agriculture, aquaculture, and fishing. The area receives an excess of untreated solid and liquid waste as a result of these activities. The study focus on the abundance, distribution, and status of the Clean - Coast Index (CCI) of marine debris from the Thondi coast, Palk Bay, Southeast coast of India. This research was the first to assess the type and quantity of marine debris on the Thondi coast. A total of 1636 marine debris items/m2 and 4.09 density of the items/m2 were determined in the marine debris: plastics (77.49%), cotton swabs (8.62%), cigarette butts (10.15%), and food containers (3.73%). From the result, the CCI is ranged between 4.25 (clean) and 20.4 (extremely dirty) with a mean of 8.92 (moderate) in the Thondi coast assessed. These studies were conducted for the first time in this region. Finally, the high CCI value of 20.4 in the coast indicates that the marine debris pollution levels are high at the time of sampling in the middle part of the Thondi coast (most of the beach is covered with plastic) due to land-based marine debris (62.45%), sea – originated marine debris (21.14%) and unknown sources (16.41%) of the items. Our findings serve as a baseline for potential evaluations of marine environments. Input prevention should be the goal of management efforts, which include proper waste management, plastic recycling, and stringent penalties for illegal waste dumping.

印度东南海岸的Thondi海岸线，作为珍贵自然海洋资源的宝库，亦承载着农业、水产养殖和渔业等社会经济活动的多重意义。然而，由于这些活动的开展，该地区承受了过量未经处理的固态和液态废弃物的困扰。本研究聚焦于Thondi海岸、Palk湾海域Clean-Coast Index（CCI，海岸清洁指数）中海洋垃圾的丰富度、分布状况及其现状。此项研究为首次对该海岸海洋垃圾的类型与数量进行评估。在海洋垃圾样本中，共检测出1636件/平方米的海上垃圾，密度为4.09件/平方米，其中塑料占77.49%，棉签8.62%，烟蒂10.15%，食品容器3.73%。据此，CCI指数在4.25（清洁）至20.4（极其脏乱）之间波动，Thondi海岸的平均值为8.92（中等）。这些研究在该地区尚属首次开展。最终，海岸线20.4的高CCI值表明，在采样期间，Thondi海岸中部（大部分海滩被塑料覆盖）的海洋垃圾污染程度较高，主要归因于陆地来源的海洋垃圾（62.45%）、海洋来源的海洋垃圾（21.14%）以及未知来源的海洋垃圾（16.41%）。我们的研究成果为海洋环境潜在评估提供了基准。管理努力的目标应为预防输入，包括垃圾的规范处理、塑料回收以及非法倾倒的严厉惩罚。