Marine debris in the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, a remote oceanic marine protected area in tropical SW Atlantic

Preliminary Study of the Effect of Tourism Activities on Litter Pollution: A Case Study on Padar Island, Komodo National Park, Indonesia

“…The type of litter category most commonly found on the hiking track on Padar Island was cigarettes butts, wet tissue or wet wipes, and outsole from shoes/sandals. This result was similar to the results of a research study by Grillo et al [2021] in a remote oceanic marine protected area in the tropical southwest Atlantic. Personal litter, such as cigarette butts, is considered the most common type of litter globally [Novotny and Slaughter, 2014].…”

“…These litter residues are insignificant in size, but they are produced in large quantities [Loizidou et al, 2018;Martinez-Ribes et al, 2007]. It is common for cigarette butts to be one of the top three most abundant items collected during beach litter surveys and island clean-up events [Grillo and Mello, 2021;Martinez-Ribes et al, 2007;Wilson and Verlis, 2017]. The presence of cigarette butts suggests that they might have been thrown by the tourists walking on the hiking track.…”

Darwin's paradise contaminated by marine debris. Understanding their sources and accumulation dynamics.☆

“…Plastics are generally the most common debris due to their durability, and among them plastic fishing gear is among the most durable due to their design focused on maximizing this durability. Oceanic currents, as in previous studies (Andrades et al, 2018;Grillo and Mello, 2021;Ivar do Sul and Costa, 2009) showed to be a key driver in the accumulation of large size debris. In the Galapagos Islands, beaches facing East, are exposed to the main current (Humboldt's) and also to Panama's current (see likely drift paths inferred from a model based on observed drifter tracks; Andrades et al, 2018;Grillo and Mello, 2021) and higher accumulation has been reported (Jones et al, 2021).…”

“…Oceanic currents, as in previous studies (Andrades et al, 2018;Grillo and Mello, 2021;Ivar do Sul and Costa, 2009) showed to be a key driver in the accumulation of large size debris. In the Galapagos Islands, beaches facing East, are exposed to the main current (Humboldt's) and also to Panama's current (see likely drift paths inferred from a model based on observed drifter tracks; Andrades et al, 2018;Grillo and Mello, 2021) and higher accumulation has been reported (Jones et al, 2021). Oceanic currents did not only influence the level of large debris, but also their assemblages, being notably more diverse in the beaches facing the main current (Figs.…”

Oil and plastic spill: 2021 as another challenging year for marine conservation in the South Atlantic Ocean

“…Given its oceanic position (Fig. 1) and the South Atlantic surface current system, this Archipelago has already been affected by marine debris and microplastics [5][6][7], showing its vulnerability to acute events of low predictability as the one described in this article. Between August 13 and 16, 2021, ~ 1.3 tons of marine debris (mostly plastics) and oil stains were collected from around 3.6 km of the windward coast of the main island, distributed at four different beaches and the insular mangrove ecosystem [8] (Fig.…”