S. Acksen et al. 
mesoplastic particles and potential oceanic pathways of the debris on six 
seaches with varying environmental conditions on the Cabo Verdean 
;sland Sao Vicente. We found average macrodebris accumulation rates 
of 0.05 + 0.06 items/m?/d or 0.2 + 0.4 g/m?/d with high variability in 
the accumulation rates and compositions between beaches with 
different orientations and beach use. The average mesoplastic particle 
abundance was 121.7 + 339.1 with high variability between beaches 
and beach sections. Macroplastic items and mesoplastic particles were 
positively correlated (Pearson's r = 0.98, p < 0.001). The particle 
:racking with PARCELS showed that there is a direct pathway from the 
Northwest African Shore and the beaches on Säo Vicente, highlighting a 
potential origin of ocean-based debris. This study sheds new light on the 
accumulation patterns of anthropogenic debris on Atlantic oceanic 
.slands and can help to understand marine debris pollution levels on the 
African continent and its oceanic islands. 
CRediT authorship contribution statement 
Sina Acksen: Visualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Data 
curation, Conceptualization, Writing — original draft. Anna Natalie 
Meyer: Methodology, Data curation, Conceptualization, Writing — re- 
view & editing. Odair Fernandes Dos Reis: Methodology, Formal 
ınalysis, Data curation, Conceptualization, Writing — review & editing. 
Arne Biastoch: Supervision, Software, Resources, Methodology, 
Writing — review & editing. Thorben Knoop: Validation, Software, 
Resources, Methodology, Formal analysis, Conceptualization, Writing - 
:eview & editing. Mark Lenz: Supervision, Project administration, 
Methodology, Funding acquisition, Conceptualization, Writing — review 
& editing. 
Funding declaration 
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding 
agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. 
Declaration of competing interest 
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial 
‚nterests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work 
reported in this contribution. 
Acknowledegments 
This study was conducted in the framework of the international 
student training and research program GAME (Global Approach by 
Modular Experiments), which is based at GEOMAR. We would like to 
:hank all sponsors who supported GAME in 2023. Furthermore, we 
would like to thank the employees of the Ocean Science Center Mindelo 
(OSCM) and the Technical University of the Atlantic (UTA) for their 
great support and service and Aaron Beck from GEOMAR for providing 
access to the HSI camera for the mesoplastic particle identification. 
Finally, we would like to thank two anonymous reviewers who provided 
valuable and helpful feedback that significantly improved the quality of 
che manuseript. 
Appendix A. Supplementary data 
Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https: //doi. 
»rg/10.1016/i.marpolbul.2026.119525, 
Data availability 
Marine Pollution Bulletin 228 (2026) 119525 
References 
Acksen, S., Meyer, A.N., Fernandes Dos Reis, O., Lenz, M., 2025. Macrodebris and 
mesoplastic data collection from six sandy beaches on Säo Vicente, Cape Verde, 
sollected May —- July, 2023 [Dataset]. PANGAEA. https://doi.org/10.1594/ 
2ANGAEA.976823. 
Älvarez-Hernändez, C., Cairös, C., Löpez-Darias, J., Mazzetti, E., Hernändez-Sänchez, C., 
Gonzälez-Sälamo, J., Hernändez-Borges, J., 2019. Microplastic debris in beaches of 
Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain). Mar. Pollut. Bull. 146, 26-32. https://doi.org/ 
„0.1016/j.marpolbul. 2019.05.064. 
Ansari, M., Farzadkia, M., 2022. Beach debris quantity and composition around the 
world: a bibliometric and systematic review. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 178, 113637. https:/- 
Joi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113637. 
Beck, A.J., Kaandorp, M., Hamm, T., Bogner, B., Kossel, E., Lenz, M., Haeckel, M., 
Achterberg, E.P., 2023. Rapid shipboard measurement of net-collected marine 
microplastic polymer types using near-infrared hyperspectral imaging. Anal. 
3ioanal. Chem. 415 (15), 2989-2998. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-023-04634- 
a, 
Biastoch, A., Schwarzkopf, F.U., Getzlaff, K., Rühs, S., Martin, T., Scheinert, M., 
Schulzki, T., Handmann, P., Hummels, R., Böning, C.W., 2021. Regional imprints of 
changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation in the eddy-rich ocean 
nodel VIKING20X. Ocean Sci. 17 (5), 1177-1211. https://doi.org/10.5194 /o0s-17- 
1177-2021. 
Brabo, L., de Oliveira, H.A., Pegado, T., Andrades, R., Keppeler, F.W., de Araujo 
Sampaio, M., Vasconcelos, F.J.M., Dantas, A.D., Carneiro, R.K.S., Cottens, K.F., 
Rangel-Buitrago, N.G., Mont’Alverne, T.F., Soares, M.O., Giarrizzo, T., 2026. 
A multidriver assessment of beach litter accumulation rates. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 223, 
119083. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.119083. 
Burlat, L., Thorsteinsson, T., 2022. Seasonal variation in the correlation between beach 
wrack and marine litter on a sandy beach in West Iceland. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 183, 
114072. https: //doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114072. 
Zardoso, C., Caldeira, R.M.A., 2021. Modeling the exposure of the Macaronesia Islands 
(NE Atlantic) to marine plastic pollution. Front. Mar. Sci. 8. https://doi.org/ 
10.3389/fmars.2021.653502. 
Zurrie, J.J., Sullivan, F.A., Beato, E., Machernis, A.F., Olson, G.L., Stack, S.H., 2023. The 
impact of the anthropause caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on beach debris 
ıccumulation in Maui, Hawai‘i. Sci. Rep. 13 (1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598- 
U23-44944-4. 
da Silva Ferreira, A.T., de Oliveira, R.C., Ribeiro, M.C.H., de Freitas Sousa, P.S., de Paula 
Miranda, L., de Oliveira Folharini, S., Siegle, E., 2025. Microplastic deposit 
ıredietions on sandy beaches by geotechnologies and machine learning models. 
2oasts 5 (1), 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/coasts5010004. 
Jelandmeter, P., van Sebille, E., 2019. The Parcels v2.0 Lagrangian framework: new field 
"nterpolation schemes. Geosci. Model Dev. 12 (8), 3571-3584. https://doi.org/ 
10.5194/gmd-12-3571-2019. 
Derraik, J.G.B., 2002. The pollution of the marine environment by plastic debris: a 
review. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 44 (9), 842-852. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0025-326x(02) 
J0220-5. 
Digka, N., Tsangaris, C., Kaberi, H., Adamopoulou, A., Zeri, C., 2017. Microplastic 
abundance and polymer types in a Mediterranean environment. In: Springer Water. 
Springer International Publishing, pp. 17-24. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319- 
71279-6 3. 
Junlop, S.W., Dunlop, B.J., Brown, M., 2020. Plastic pollution in paradise: daily 
accumulation rates of marine litter on Cousine Island, Seychelles. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 
151, 110803. https: //doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110803. 
Ariksson, C., Burton, H., Fitch, S., Schulz, M., van den Hoff, J., 2013. Daily accumulation 
ates of marine debris on sub-Antarctic island beaches. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 66 (1-2), 
199-208. https: //doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.08.026. 
Erni-Cassola, G., Zadjelovic, V., Gibson, M.I., Christie-Oleza, J.A., 2019. Distribution of 
»lastic polymer types in the marine environment; a meta-analysis. J. Hazard. Mater. 
369, 691-698. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.02.067. 
Fatema, K., Sumon, K.A., Moon, S.M., Alam, Md.J., Hasan, $S.J., Uddin, Md.H., 
Arakawa, H., Rashid, H., 2023. Microplastics and mesoplastics in surface water, 
each sediment, and crude salt from the northern Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh coast. 
J. Sediment. Environ. 8 (2), 231-246. https: //doi.org/10.1007 /s43217-023-00131- 
Fitterer, D., 1983. The modern upwelling record off Northwest Africa. Coastal upwelling 
its sediment record Pt B Sedimentary records of ancient coastal upwelling. In: 
Thiede, J., Suess, E. (Eds.), NATO Conference Series IV, Marine Sciences 10. Plenum 
Press, New York and London, pp. 105-121. 
zeyer, R., Jambeck, J.R., Law, K.L., 2017. Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever 
made. Sci. Adv. 3 (7). https: //doi.org/10.1126/sciadv. 1700782. 
ireen, D.S., Boots, B., Blockley, D.J., Rocha, C., Thompson, R., 2015. Impacts of 
discarded plastic bags on marine assemblages and ecosystem functioning. Environ. 
Sci. Technol. 49 (9), 5380-5389. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b00277. 
3zregory, M.R., Andrady, A.L., 2003. Plastics in the marine environment. In: Plastics and 
(he Environment. Wiley, pp. 379-401. https://doi.org/10.1002/0471721557.ch10. 
zu0, X., Wang, J., 2019. The chemical behaviors of microplastics in marine environment: 
> review. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 142, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/i. 
‚narpolbul.2019.03.019. 
Jaarr, M.L., Rydsaa, J., Pires, R., Espenes, H., Hermansen, S., Ghaffari, P., Solbakken, V. 
$., 2024. Beach litter deposition and turnover, effects of tides and weather, and 
"mplications for cleanup strategies: a case study in the Lofoten archipelago, Norway. 
Mar. Pollut. Bull. 206, 116720. https: //doi.oreg/10.1016/ij.marpolbul.2024.116720. 
The data gathered in this study are available on PANGAEA: doi: 
nttps://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA. 976823 (Acksen et al., 2025).