Spatial and seasonal variability of beach litter along the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in 2015–2019 - Recommendations for the environmental status assessment and measures

Zalewska, Tamara; Maciak, Joanna; Grajewska, Agnieszka

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145716

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…2 Bathing Beach in the tourist peak season was close to or exceeded 90%. This result was in line with the finding that the densities of beach waste are greatly increased by up to 40% in the summer with the increase in the number of tourists [32]. In the tourist peak season, these coastal tourist cities around the Bohai Sea are under pressure from tourists, which results in higher proportions of beach waste from human coastal activity at most sampling beaches.…”

Section: Sources Of Beach Wastesupporting

confidence: 87%

Changes in Sources and Composition of Beach Waste in Coastal Cities around the Bohai Sea of China during the Tourist Peak and Off-Peak Seasons

Kong

Pan

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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Beach waste is an important pollutant in the Bohai Sea and coastal cities around the Bohai Sea and has raised many social and environmental concerns in China. The semi-closed characteristics of the Bohai Sea, the well-developed tourism, the special industrial structure and residents’ living habits endow the beach waste around Bohai sea with a unique character that should be explored. This study investigated changes in the sources and composition of beach waste in coastal cities around the Bohai Sea of China during the tourist peak and off-peak seasons. Beach waste from twenty beaches in thirteen coastal cities around the Bohai Sea was sampled and analyzed in March and August 2021, respectively. The results showed that beach waste around the Bohai Sea was characterized by large quantities and small weights and was greatly affected by human coastal activities. The sources and composition of beach waste from different coasts and different seasons varied, whereas the overall trend was consistent. In terms of composition, beach waste in both the tourist peak season and off-peak season was mainly composed of plastics, fabrics and paper, which accounted for more than 70% of the total in weight. Meanwhile, the proportion of plastics in the total quantity of beach waste was greatest (maximum of up to 71%) and exhibited seasonal fluctuations, trending higher in the tourist peak season than in the off-peak season. In contrast, trends in the proportion of paper and fabrics in the total quantity and total weight of beach waste were relatively stable in different seasons. In terms of sources, beach waste mainly derived from human coastal activities, the proportion of which in the total quantity of beach waste in the tourist peak season reached 70.55% and was 11% higher than that in the tourist off-peak season. Shipping/fishing activities were the second largest source of beach waste, and their proportion in the total quantity of beach waste in the tourist peak season was 5% lower than that in the tourist off-peak season, as the tourist peak season around the Bohai Sea coincides exactly with the fishing moratorium. The quantity of smoking-related waste only accounted for 9.35% and 7.73% of beach waste in the tourist peak and off-peak seasons, respectively. The special semi-enclosed structure of the Bohai gulf, surrounded by land on three sides, aggravated the accumulation of beach waste on the coast. Source reduction and classified recovery, collaborative management of marine waste and beach waste, and joint prevention and control mechanisms of three provinces (Liaoning, Hebei and Shandong) and one municipality (Tianjin) were suggested for comprehensive management of beach waste in coastal cities around the Bohai Sea of China. This study provided valuable information for beach waste management in coastal cities around the Bohai Sea of China.

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Section: Sources Of Beach Wastesupporting

confidence: 87%

Changes in Sources and Composition of Beach Waste in Coastal Cities around the Bohai Sea of China during the Tourist Peak and Off-Peak Seasons

Kong

Pan

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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“…Thus, the proportion of plastic waste in the total marine waste of Thanh Hoa beaches was high compared to the world average of 36-94.88% [27,[36][37][38][39]. The reason for this result might come from the anthropogenic activities in the studied area.…”

Section: Classification Of Marine Debrismentioning

confidence: 79%

Preliminary assessment of marine debris pollution and coastal water quality on some beaches in Thanh Hoa province, Vietnam

Lim

Nguyễn

Nguyen

et al. 2021

VJMST

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Marine debris assessment gives information about their quantity, type, and composition, which provides data to help with their management and control. The authors conducted two surveys at three beaches at Sam Son, Hai Tien, Hai Hoa) in Thanh Hoa province in March 2020 and July 2020, respectively, during an inactive and active tourism period. A total of 3,803 waste units were collected for assessment, of which plastic waste accounts for more than 98%. The density of marine debris at the idle time of tourism ranged from 0.25–1.21 items/m2. But the active tourist season recorded from 0.52–1.4 items/m2. According to the Clean Coast Index (CCI), the cleanliness of beaches was grade from average clean (i.e., Hai Tien) to filthy (i.e., Hai Hoa). The plastic debris present at these beaches was mainly porous waste derived from fishing boats and food preservation foam boxes. The results also showed that the marine debris was composed of 77% polystyrene (PS), 17% polypropylene (PP) and 6% high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The water parameters were lower than the critical values during the study period according to the QCVN 10-MT:2015/BTNMT for both periods, which indicated the coastal water quality was still suitable for recreational activities.

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“…Coastal regions are biologically highly active areas with significant ecological and socioeconomic values. Shallow coastal areas and beaches are becoming increasingly impacted by marine litter (Scotti et al, 2021;Zalewska et al, 2021). In addition to its impact on biota, marine litter affects the human quality of life, particularly in coastal areas (Hardesty et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Manipulative Field Experiment to Evaluate the Impact of Discarded Plastic Bags on Shallow Vegetated Benthic Communities

et al. 2022

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Coastal regions are biologically active areas with significant ecological and socioeconomic values. These regions are increasingly being affected by marine litter. The impact of macro-sized marine litter on biomass and net primary production of hard and soft bottom communities was investigated by using a manipulative field experiment. Plastic bags were used to mimic the disturbance caused by litter to benthic vegetation and fauna. The experiment was carried out on a soft substrate community dominated by sago pondweed Stuckenia pectinata (L.) Boerner and bladder wrack Fucus vesiculosus L. as a foundation species of a hard substrate. A rapid negative impact of the plastic bag cover on vegetation biomass of soft-bottom community was detected, while the impact on the biomass of hard bottom vegetation was non-significant. Plastic bag cover substantially reduced the net production rates of hard substrate species Fucus and the biomass of associated zoobenthos. The difference in net production rates of Stuckenia with and without plastic cover was negligible.

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Spatial and seasonal variability of beach litter along the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in 2015–2019 - Recommendations for the environmental status assessment and measures

Cited by 14 publications

References 48 publications

Changes in Sources and Composition of Beach Waste in Coastal Cities around the Bohai Sea of China during the Tourist Peak and Off-Peak Seasons

Changes in Sources and Composition of Beach Waste in Coastal Cities around the Bohai Sea of China during the Tourist Peak and Off-Peak Seasons

Preliminary assessment of marine debris pollution and coastal water quality on some beaches in Thanh Hoa province, Vietnam

A Manipulative Field Experiment to Evaluate the Impact of Discarded Plastic Bags on Shallow Vegetated Benthic Communities

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