Africa Archives - One Earth - One Ocean e. V.

Assessment of marine debris on the coastal wetland of Martil in the North-East of Morocco

guenther — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 19:06:41 +0000

Adel Alshawafi, Mohamed Analla, Ebrahim Alwashali, Mustapha Aksissou,
Assessment of marine debris on the coastal wetland of Martil in the
North-East of Morocco, Marine Pollution Bulletin, Volume 117, Issues
1–2, 15 April 2017, Pages 302-310, ISSN 0025-326X,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.01.079.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X17301078)
Abstract: Abstract
Plastic waste at the coastal wetland in Martil beach in the North-East
of Morocco is one of the problems that have appeared recently. This
study aims to characterize the marine debris in the coast of Martil
during the year 2015. The sampling is seasonally by type and size. The
result shows, for the macro debris, the abundance of plastic (57%),
lumber and paper (21.93%), cloth and fabric (7.8%), glass (5.42%), metal
(4.40%), and rubber (3.4%). Micro debris is also present in the area in
several forms such as wood, plants, and others by 75,63%. This was
followed by the foam (26,95%), line (7,8%), and the film (1,23%). The
seasonal variation (S1: January–March and S3: July to September) are the
most polluted months of the year. The sources of marine debris are
mainly tourism (beach users), land (run off), and commercial fishing in
the four seasons of the year.
Keywords: Plastic waste; Biodegradation; Marine pollution; Martil; Morocco

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Biofouling on buoyant marine plastics: An experimental study into the effect of size on surface longevity

guenther — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 10:16:53 +0000

Francesca M.C. Fazey, Peter G. Ryan, Biofouling on buoyant marine
plastics: An experimental study into the effect of size on surface
longevity, Environmental Pollution, Volume 210, March 2016, Pages
354-360, ISSN 0269-7491, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2016.01.026.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749116300264)
Abstract: Recent estimates suggest that roughly 100 times more plastic
litter enters the sea than is found floating at the sea surface, despite
the buoyancy and durability of many plastic polymers. Biofouling by
marine biota is one possible mechanism responsible for this discrepancy.
Microplastics (<5 mm in diameter) are more scarce than larger size
classes, which makes sense because fouling is a function of surface area
whereas buoyancy is a function of volume; the smaller an object, the
greater its relative surface area. We tested whether plastic items with
high surface area to volume ratios sank more rapidly by submerging 15
different sizes of polyethylene samples in False Bay, South Africa, for
12 weeks to determine the time required for samples to sink. All samples
became sufficiently fouled to sink within the study period, but small
samples lost buoyancy much faster than larger ones. There was a direct
relationship between sample volume (buoyancy) and the time to attain a
50% probability of sinking, which ranged from 17 to 66 days of exposure.
Our results provide the first estimates of the longevity of different
sizes of plastic debris at the ocean surface. Further research is
required to determine how fouling rates differ on free floating debris
in different regions and in different types of marine environments. Such
estimates could be used to improve model predictions of the distribution
and abundance of floating plastic debris globally.
Keywords: Marine plastic debris; Buoyancy; Biofouling; Fragment size;
Microplastics

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Nigerian recycling initiative proves it’s not all about hi-tech solutions

guenther — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 16:27:25 +0000

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/oct/30/nigerian-recycling-initiative-proves-its-not-all-about-hi-tech-solutions

Nigerian recycling initiative proves it?s not all about hi-tech solutions

Winner of the Sustainia Award 2014, Wecyclers enables low-income
communities to make money from waste and while it?s a low-tech
innovation, its impact is high

Laura Storm
Thursday 30 October 2014 19.15 GMT

When it comes to climate change, we have the bad habit of focusing on
the first part of the story, the part about the problem, and forgetting
the second part about the many available solutions. These solutions are
speeding up recycling, slowing down emissions and providing sustainable
alternatives to plastic, air conditioning, smartphones and fast fashion.

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Côte d’Ivoire Chokes on its Plastic Shopping Bags

guenther — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 21:48:43 +0000

http://www.ipsnews.net/2014/09/cote-divoire-chokes-on-its-plastic-shopping-bags/

Côte d?Ivoire Chokes on its Plastic Shopping Bags

By Marc-Andre Boisvert

ABDIJAN, Côte d?Ivoire, Sep 26 2014 (IPS) - In the middle of downtown
Abidjan, Côte d?Ivoire, the aisles of a thriving supermarket are full of
customers. But as they line up to pay for their items, there is one line
to a cashier?s till that remains empty. It?s the ?green cash register?,
where the cashier does not provide plastic bags as this supermarket
tries to implement a green policy.

?People do not find it convenient to bring their own bags. But they are
often angry that they have to line up while nobody comes here [to the
green cash register],? the cashier tells IPS.

Increasing environmental consciousness is not the sole reason for
Ivorian shops adopting green policies: the government has adopted new
laws that will affect consumers.

Each year, Côte d?Ivoire produces 200,000 tonnes of plastic bags of
which 40,000 go directly into the trash. Less than 20 percent of this
plastic is recycled.

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The effect of fine-scale sampling frequency on estimates of beach litter accumulation

guenther — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 17:41:25 +0000

Peter G. Ryan, Annerie Lamprecht, Debbie Swanepoel, Coleen L. Moloney,
The effect of fine-scale sampling frequency on estimates of beach litter
accumulation, Marine Pollution Bulletin, Available online 16 September
2014, ISSN 0025-326X, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.08.036.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X14005888)
Abstract: The effect of sampling frequency on estimates of the rate of
litter accumulation was determined for two South African sandy beaches.
After initial cleaning, all manufactured items >10 mm diameter were
collected in alternating bouts of daily or weekly cleanups. Daily
sampling collected 2.5 (range 2.1?3.4) times more litter items than
weekly samples and 1.7 (1.3?2.3) times more litter by mass. Low density
items such as foamed polystyrene showed a greater differential (4?5
times more items from daily sampling), presumably due to faster turnover
of lightweight litter items. Variation in weekly samples was not
consistently less than daily estimates, suggesting that less frequent
samples only partly integrate short-term fluctuations in litter
dynamics. Researchers using beach accumulation data to infer trends in
nearshore marine litter, or to assess the efficacy of litter mitigation
measures, need to ensure consistency in sampling frequency.
Keywords: Stranded debris; Plastics; Sample rate; Accumulation;
Meta-analyses; South Africa

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