Effects of natural and anthropogenic processes in the distribution of marine litter in the deep Mediterranean Sea

Ramírez-Llodra, Eva; Mol, Ben De; Company, Joan B.; Coll, Marta; Sardà, Francesc

doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2013.07.027

Cited by 190 publications

(136 citation statements)

References 60 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

128

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…A large part of these materials decomposes only slowly or not at all. This phenomenon can also be observed on the seafloor where 90 % of litter caught in benthic trawls is plastic (Galil et al 1995;Galgani et al 1995Galgani et al , 2000Ramirez-Llodra et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…Only few studies have assessed debris below 500 m depth (June 1990;Galil et al 1995;Galgani et al 1996Galgani et al , 2000Galgani and Lecornu 2004;Keller et al 2010;Miyake et al 2011;Mordecai et al 2011;Bergmann and Klages 2012;Wei et al 2012;Pham et al 2013Pham et al , 2014Ramirez-Llodra et al 2013, Schlining et al 2013Fischer et al 2015;Vieira et al 2014);Galgani et al (2000) observed trends in deep-sea pollution over time off the European coast with an extremely variable distribution and debris accumulating in submarine canyons. Miyake et al (2011) recorded debris down to 7,216 m depth in video surveys from the Ryukyu Trench.…”

Section: Seafloormentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Global Distribution, Composition and Abundance of Marine Litter

Galgani

Hanke

Maes

2015

Marine Anthropogenic Litter

433

338

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Marine debris is commonly observed everywhere in the oceans. Litter enters the seas from both land-based sources, from ships and other installations at sea, from point and diffuse sources, and can travel long distances before being stranded. Plastics typically constitute the most important part of marine litter sometimes accounting for up to 100 % of floating litter. On beaches, most studies have demonstrated densities in the 1 item m −2 range except for very high concentrations because of local conditions, after typhoons or flooding events. Floating marine debris ranges from 0 to beyond 600 items km −2 . On the sea bed, the abundance of plastic debris is very dependent on location, with densities ranging from 0 to >7700 items km −2 , mainly in coastal areas. Recent studies have demonstrated that pollution of microplastics, particles <5 mm, has spread at the surface of oceans, in the water column and in sediments, even in the deep sea. Concentrations at the water surface ranged from thousands to hundred thousands of particles km −2 . Fluxes vary widely with factors such as proximity of urban activities, shore and coastal uses, wind and ocean currents. These enable the presence of accumulation areas in oceanic convergence zones and on the seafloor, notably in coastal canyons. Temporal trends are not clear with evidences for increases, decreases or without changes, depending on locations and environmental conditions. In terms of distribution and quantities, proper global estimations based on standardized approaches are still needed before considering efficient management and reduction measures.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Seafloormentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Distribution, Composition and Abundance of Marine Litter

Galgani

Hanke

Maes

2015

Marine Anthropogenic Litter

433

338

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, the data obtained to date from regional, as well as international, large-scale investigations, suggest that canyons are a major habitat for the accumulation of litter (Figure 5). The specific hydrographic patterns and increased downslope currents in submarine canyons result in canyons becoming hotspots of marine litter (Galgani et al, 1996(Galgani et al, , 2010Mordecai et al, 2011;Ramirez-Llodra et al, 2013;Schlining et al, 2013;Pham et al, 2014;Bergmann et al, 2015;Tubau et al, 2015; Van den Beld et al, in press). A study comparing the accumulation of marine litter in different deep-sea habitats across Europe showed that litter densities in canyons were higher than in other physiographic settings, such as continental shelves, seamounts, banks, and mounds (Pham et al, 2014).…”

Section: Canyons As Sinks For Marine Litter and Chemical Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological Role of Submarine Canyons and Need for Canyon Conservation: A Review

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Submarine canyons are major geomorphic features of continental margins around the world. Several recent multidisciplinary projects focused on the study of canyons have considerably increased our understanding of their ecological role, the goods, and services they provide to human populations, and the impacts that human activities have on their overall ecological condition. Pressures from human activities include fishing, dumping of land-based mine tailings, and oil and gas extraction. Moreover, hydrodynamic processes of canyons enhance the down-canyon transport of litter. The effects of climate change may modify the intensity of currents. This potential hydrographic change is predicted to impact the structure and functioning of canyon communities as well as affect nutrient supply to the deep-ocean ecosystem. This review not only identifies the ecological status of canyons, and current and future issues for canyon conservation, but also highlights the need for a better understanding of anthropogenic impacts on canyon ecosystems and proposes other research required to inform management measures to protect canyon ecosystems.

show abstract

“…The vast depth of the deep sea makes it an area that has been used as a dumping ground for many types of waste, including radioactive substances, munitions, animal carcasses (Morton, 2003), sewage sludge, plastics, mine waste (reviewed in Thiel, 2003, and Ramirez-Llodra et al, 2011, 2013, but see Pham et al, 2014, for the most recent report on human waste in the deep sea), and munitions disposal (Thiel, 2003;HUMMA final report, 2010), in addition to being a sink or deposition area for pollutants and organic wastes. If these compounds accumulate on the seafloor, or are buried within the sediment, the habitats provide a more long-term benefit to society as a provisioning service.…”

Section: Waste Disposalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecosystem function and services provided by the deep sea

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. The deep sea is often viewed as a vast, dark, remote, and inhospitable environment, yet the deep ocean and seafloor are crucial to our lives through the services that they provide. Our understanding of how the deep sea functions remains limited, but when treated synoptically, a diversity of supporting, provisioning, regulating and cultural services becomes apparent. The biological pump transports carbon from the atmosphere into deep-ocean water masses that are separated over prolonged periods, reducing the impact of anthropogenic carbon release. Microbial oxidation of methane keeps another potent greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere while trapping carbon in authigenic carbonates. Nutrient regeneration by all faunal size classes provides the elements necessary for fueling surface productivity and fisheries, and microbial processes detoxify a diversity of compounds. Each of these processes occur on a very small scale, yet considering the vast area over which they occur they become important for the global functioning of the ocean. The deep sea also provides a wealth of resources, including fish stocks, enormous bioprospecting potential, and elements and energy reserves that are currently being extracted and will be increasingly important in the near future. Society benefits from the intrigue and mystery, the strange life forms, and the great unknown that has acted as a muse for inspiration and imagination since near the beginning of civilization. While many functions occur on the scale of microns to meters and timescales up to years, the derived services that result are only useful after centuries of integrated activity. This vast dark habitat, which covers the majority of the globe, harbors processes that directly impact humans in a variety of ways; however, the same traits that differentiate it from terrestrial or shallow marine systems also result in a greater need for integrated spatial and temporal understanding as it experiences increased use by society. In this manuscript we aim to provide a foundation for informed conservation and management of the deep sea by summarizing the important role of the deep sea in society.

show abstract

Effects of natural and anthropogenic processes in the distribution of marine litter in the deep Mediterranean Sea

Cited by 190 publications

References 60 publications

Global Distribution, Composition and Abundance of Marine Litter

Global Distribution, Composition and Abundance of Marine Litter

Ecological Role of Submarine Canyons and Need for Canyon Conservation: A Review

Ecosystem function and services provided by the deep sea

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About