Marine Litter Distribution and Density in European Seas, from the Shelves to Deep Basins

Anthropogenic litter is present in all marine habitats, from beaches to the most remote points in the oceans. On the seafloor, marine litter, particularly plastic, can accumulate in high densities with deleterious consequences for its inhabitants. Yet, because of the high cost involved with sampling...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Pham, Christopher K., Ramírez Llodra, Eva Zoe, Alt, Claudia H. S., Amaro, Teresa, Bergmann, Melanie, Canals Artigas, Miquel, Company Claret, Joan Baptista, Davies, Jaime, Duineveld, Gerard, Galgani, François, Howell, Kerry L., Huvenne, Veerle A. I., Isidro, Eduardo, Jones, Daniel O. B., Lastras Membrive, Galderic, Morato, Telmo, Gomes-Pereira, Jose Nuno, Purser, Autun, Stewart, Heather, Tojeira, Ines, Tubau i Carbonell, Xavier
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2014
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:2445/54123
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/54123
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Sediments marins
Europa
Marine sediments
Europe
Descripción
Sumario:Anthropogenic litter is present in all marine habitats, from beaches to the most remote points in the oceans. On the seafloor, marine litter, particularly plastic, can accumulate in high densities with deleterious consequences for its inhabitants. Yet, because of the high cost involved with sampling the seafloor, no large-scale assessment of distribution patterns was available to date. Here, we present data on litter distribution and density collected during 588 video and trawl surveys across 32 sites in European waters. We found litter to be present in the deepest areas and at locations as remote from land as the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone across the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The highest litter density occurs in submarine canyons, whilst the lowest density can be found on continental shelves and on ocean ridges. Plastic was the most prevalent litter item found on the seafloor. Litter from fishing activities (derelict fishing lines and nets) was particularly common on seamounts, banks, mounds and ocean ridges. Our results highlight the extent of the problem and the need for action to prevent increasing accumulation of litter in marine environments.

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