Marine Debris on the Seafloor of the Mediterranean Sea: Examples from Two Enclosed Gulfs in Western Greece

Stefatos, A.; Charalampakis, Marinos; Papatheodorou, George; Ferentinos, G.

doi:10.1016/s0025-326x(98)00141-6

Cited by 162 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Debris that reaches the seabed may already have been transported considerable distance, only sinking when weighed down by fouling. The consequence is an accumulation of plastics debris in bays rather than the open sea (Hess et al 1999;Stefatos et al 1999). Some accumulation zones in the Atlantic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea have very high debris densities despite being far from coasts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, abundance remained stable in the Gulf of Lion, France during a similar period (figure 6). Furthermore in some areas around Greece, the abundance of debris at depth has increased over the last 8 years (Stefatos et al 1999;Koutsodendris et al 2008). Interpretation of temporal trends is also complicated by annual variations in debris transport, such as seasonal changes in flow rate of rivers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments

Barnes

Galgani

Thompson

et al. 2009

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

4,448

2,281

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One of the most ubiquitous and long-lasting recent changes to the surface of our planet is the accumulation and fragmentation of plastics. Within just a few decades since mass production of plastic products commenced in the 1950s, plastic debris has accumulated in terrestrial environments, in the open ocean, on shorelines of even the most remote islands and in the deep sea. Annual clean-up operations, costing millions of pounds sterling, are now organized in many countries and on every continent. Here we document global plastics production and the accumulation of plastic waste. While plastics typically constitute approximately 10 per cent of discarded waste, they represent a much greater proportion of the debris accumulating on shorelines.Mega-and macro-plastics have accumulated in the highest densities in the Northern Hemisphere, adjacent to urban centres, in enclosed seas and at water convergences (fronts). We report lower densities on remote island shores, on the continental shelf seabed and the lowest densities (but still a documented presence) in the deep sea and Southern Ocean. The longevity of plastic is estimated to be hundreds to thousands of years, but is likely to be far longer in deep sea and non-surface polar environments. Plastic debris poses considerable threat by choking and starving wildlife, distributing non-native and potentially harmful organisms, absorbing toxic chemicals and degrading to micro-plastics that may subsequently be ingested. Well-established annual surveys on coasts and at sea have shown that trends in mega-and macro-plastic accumulation rates are no longer uniformly increasing: rather stable, increasing and decreasing trends have all been reported. The average size of plastic particles in the environment seems to be decreasing, and the abundance and global distribution of micro-plastic fragments have increased over the last few decades. However, the environmental consequences of such microscopic debris are still poorly understood.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments

Barnes

Galgani

Thompson

et al. 2009

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

4,448

2,281

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show abstract

“…Although the majority of plastics have positive buoyancy, it is believed that most plastics are currently accumulated on the oceans' seabed and will persist there for hundreds or even thousands of years depending on the properties of the polymer (Stefatos et al 1999, Barnes et al 2009, Galgani et al 2010. A recent review (Barnes et al 2009) illustrates how plastic pollution on the seabed is currently extended worldwide.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Baseline study of the distribution of marine debris on soft-bottom habitats associated with trawling grounds in the northern Mediterranean

Sánchez¹,

Masó²,

Sáez³

et al. 2013

Sci. Mar.

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SUMMARY: The present study aims to analyse the local and regional variability in the density and typology of marine debris on fishing grounds on the northern Mediterranean continental shelf, and to test relationships between marine litter and trawl fishing activity. Moreover, the colonization of plastics was examined in order to study the importance of plastics as a source of impact on marine communities and their further environmental implications. This study surveyed 11 sites, associated with trawling grounds and subjected to different levels of fishing intensity, located in four areas of the Mediterranean: one in Italy, the Central Tyrrhenian coast, one in Greece, the eastern Ionian coast, and two in Spain, the Murcian and Catalan coasts. Samples were collected during an oceanographic cruise undertaken from the 21 May to the 24 June 2009. Results showed geographical variation in the density of marine debris which ranged from 0 to 405 pieces per hectare in the surveyed areas, plastics being the dominant components. Variability within sites was higher than between areas, indicating small-scale patchiness in the distribution of the debris over the seafloor. Though the study areas were within trawling grounds, the density of debris was not significantly correlated with fishing effort. More than 30% of plastics were between 10 and 20 cm width/ length, and more than 40% of the plastics were colonized by a biofilm of microorganisms, suggesting indirect effects on benthic communities.Keywords: marine debris, seabed plastic accumulation, colonized benthic plastics, northern Mediterranean Sea. RESUMEN: Estudio dE rEfErEncia sobrE la distribución dE basura marina En fondos blandos asociados a caladEros dE pEsca dE arrastrE En El mEditErránEo nortE. -Este estudio tiene como objetivo analizar la variabilidad local y regional de la basura marina en caladeros de pescas de la plataforma continental mediterránea septentrional y estudiar la relación entre ésta y la actividad pesquera. En este estudio se examinaron once estaciones de muestreo asociadas a caladeros de pesca, sujetas a distintos niveles de esfuerzo y situadas en 4 áreas en el Mediterráneo: una en Italia, en la costa central del Tirreno (TC), otra en Grecia, en la costa jónica occidental (IC) y otras dos en España, en las costas murciana y catalana (MC y CC). Las muestras se obtuvieron durante una campaña oceanográfica llevada a cabo entre el 21 de mayo y el 24 de junio de 2009. Los resultados mostraron una variación geográfica en la densidad de basura marina comprendida entre 0 y 405 piezas por hectárea en las áreas muestreadas, siendo los plásticos el componente principal. La variabilidad entre estaciones resultó más alta que la variabilidad entre áreas, lo que indica una heterogeneidad a pequeña escala en la distribución de la basura sobre el fondo. Aunque las áreas de estudio estaban situadas en caladeros pesqueros, la densidad de basura no mostró una correlación significativa con el esfuerzo de pesca. Más del 40% de los plásticos se encontraron colonizados po...

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“…Plastic litter makes up to 80 % of seabed debris, followed by metal and glass (RYAN & MOLONEY, 1990;GABRIE-LIDES et al, 1991;KANEHIRO et al, 1995;STEFATOS et al, 1999;DERRAIK, 2002). The accumulation of plastic litter on the seafloor can inhibit ventilation of the sediments thus resulting in hypoxia or anoxia (GOLDBERG, 1997, UNEPUTTY & EVANS, 1997.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Smaller items such as plastic, metal and glass containers comprise a large part of benthic litter near urban centres (STEFATOS et al, 1999;BLACKHURST & COLE, 2000;MOORE & ALLEN, 2000). There is little documented information about the potential use of this form of waste as a habitat for coastal communities and its potential impact on adjacent soft bottom communities (CHAPMAN & CLYNICK, 2006).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Subtidal littering: Indirect effects on soft substratum macrofauna?

et al. 2008

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Changes in macrofauna community structure, abundance and species richness were examined both before and one year after the deployment of plastic and glass bottles at littered (litter density: 16 items / 100 m2) and non-littered (control) surfaces at three unimpacted coastal areas of the western Saronikos Gulf (Greece). In parallel, LOI% at the adjacent sediments and changes in the composition of feeding types of the megaepifauna that colonized the litter were examined across treatments. Significant changes in macrofauna community structure were demonstrated between before and after littering. At only one of the sites was there detected a significant difference in macrofauna community structure between control and littered plots after littering. This difference was linked with a significant increase in the abundance of opportunistic polychaete species and LOI% levels in the sediment surface due to the entrapment of macrophytal debris within the littered surface. The study did not show a consistent direct response of macroinfauna community to litter and the associated megafauna. Unlike the megafauna attracted by litter items, soft-substratum macrofauna is less responsive to the addition of novel hard substrates in adjacent sediments. Alternatively, it could be that the impact of littering with small items triggers a macrofauna response detectable in the long-run.

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Marine Debris on the Seafloor of the Mediterranean Sea: Examples from Two Enclosed Gulfs in Western Greece

Cited by 162 publications

References 11 publications

Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments

Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments

Baseline study of the distribution of marine debris on soft-bottom habitats associated with trawling grounds in the northern Mediterranean

Subtidal littering: Indirect effects on soft substratum macrofauna?

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