Geophysical features influence the accumulation of beach debris on Caribbean islands

Schmuck, Alexandra M.; Lavers, Jennifer L.; Stuckenbrock, Silke; Sharp, Paul B.; Bond, Alexander L.

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.05.043

Cited by 54 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Cayman Brac, unique in that it is the only study site inhabited by humans, had extremely high debris loads. This may be attributed to waste management practices and the influence of tourism and local populations which are common factors that contribute to high debris loads on Caribbean beaches (Coe et al, 1997;Ivar do Sul and Costa, 2007;Schmuck et al, 2017). All nests (n = 10) contained debris with a mean of 7.6 ± 2.7 items (though the sample size was small relative to other sites), while the beach had the highest density of debris of all sites (5.833 items m -2 ; Table 3).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of anthropogenic marine debris as a nesting material by brown boobies (Sula leucogaster)

Grant

Lavers

Stuckenbrock³

et al. 2018

Marine Pollution Bulletin

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Marine debris is pervasive worldwide, and affects biota negatively. We compared the characteristics of debris incorporated within brown booby (Sula leucogaster) nests throughout their pantropical distribution by assessing the type, colour and mass of debris items within nests and in beach transects at 18 sites, to determine if nests are indicators of the amount of debris in local marine environments. Debris was present in 14.4% of nests surveyed, with the proportion of nests with debris varying among sites (range: 0-100%). There was minimal overlap between the type or colour of debris found in nests and on adjacent beaches at individual sites. This suggests that brown boobies do not select debris uniformly across their distribution. We propose that the nests of brown boobies can be used as a sentinel of marine debris pollution of their local environment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of anthropogenic marine debris as a nesting material by brown boobies (Sula leucogaster)

Grant

Lavers

Stuckenbrock³

et al. 2018

Marine Pollution Bulletin

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“…Another example of remote beaches without CB items are those along the Moroccan Mediterranean coast [60]. In order to improve beach quality, and considering that major litter quantities on remote and inaccessible beaches may be linked to marinebased sources and less frequent clean ups [61], remote beaches must not be ignored by coastal managers that have to implement sound management actions. In this paper, on the Desnarigado beach (no.…”

Section: Remotementioning

confidence: 99%

Abundance and Distribution of Cigarette Butts on Coastal Environments: Examples from Southern Spain

Asensio-Montesinos

Ramírez

Aguilar-Torrelo

et al. 2021

JMSE

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Litter on beaches is one of the most difficult problems in coastal management and every year, much efforts and public money are invested to try to alleviate and solve the problem. Cigarette butts (CB) are among the most widespread abandoned personal items in the world. In Spain, they are found on all types of beaches, where they are discarded by beach users; however, rivers and streams can also deposit CB on shores. This paper analyses the abundance of CB on different beaches in Southern Spain in order to address and better understand this relevant environmental problem and propose sound solutions to decrease or eliminate their presence. The main factors favouring CB accumulation were identified, namely the seasonality and number of beach users, beach typology (remote, rural, village or urban sites), type of beach sediment and methods and frequency of cleaning operations. Mean and median CB abundance values per 100 m of beach length, calculated from all the data used in this study, were 159 and 68 items, respectively. The largest number of CB were observed at urban sites, followed by village, rural and remote beaches. Further, sand beaches registered higher values of CB than cobble or pebble beaches.

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“…However, on touristic beaches sheltered at the leeward side of islands, clean-up campaigns effectively remove macroplastics. Therefore, the contribution of sea-based and island-based (local) sources may be more prominent for smaller plastics and microplastics that are not effectively removed during beach cleaning (Schmuck et al, 2017).…”

Section: The Size Distribution Of Marine Litter: Insights On Litter Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine litter arrived: Distribution and potential sources on an unpopulated atoll in the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve, Caribbean Sea

Portz

Manzolli

Herrera

et al. 2020

Marine Pollution Bulletin

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The Albuquerque atoll was studied as a representative natural laboratory to explore the role of sea-based sources of marine litter. This work aimed to identify the small-scale spatial distribution of marine litter (i.e., plastic, glass, paper, and others) as well as to explore the connectivity among the atoll habitats (sand beach, water surface, and reef) to give insights of potential sources of marine litter (> 5 cm), mainly plastics. Marine litter was dominated by plastic items, as expected, with an average value of 0.5 items/m 2 . Large microplastics (1-5 mm) were also sampled on beaches with an average value of 90 particles/m 2 . In the atoll inner lagoon, marine litter was also composed by plastic, mainly fragments (average 0.059 items/m 3 ). The predominance of plastic fragments on both the sea surface and beaches of the atoll makes inferences on sources limited. However, o fishing activities and sea-based sources might be relevant since local sources are very limited.

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Geophysical features influence the accumulation of beach debris on Caribbean islands

Cited by 54 publications

References 31 publications

The use of anthropogenic marine debris as a nesting material by brown boobies (Sula leucogaster)

The use of anthropogenic marine debris as a nesting material by brown boobies (Sula leucogaster)

Abundance and Distribution of Cigarette Butts on Coastal Environments: Examples from Southern Spain

Marine litter arrived: Distribution and potential sources on an unpopulated atoll in the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve, Caribbean Sea

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