Human footprint in theabyss: 30 year records of deep-sea plastic debris,

Marine Policy,
Available online 6 April 2018, ISSN 0308-597X,

Abstract:

This study reports plastic debris pollution in the deep-sea based on the
information from a recently developed database. The Global Oceanographic
Data Center (GODAC) of the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and
Technology (JAMSTEC) launched the Deep-sea Debris Database for public
use in March 2017. The database archives photographs and videos of
debris that have been collected since 1983 by deep-sea submersibles and
remotely operated vehicles. From the 5010 dives in the database, 3425
man-made debris items were counted. More than 33% of the debris was
macro-plastic, of which 89% was single-use products, and these ratios
increased to 52% and 92%, respectively, in areas deeper than 6000 m. The
deepest record was a plastic bag at 10898 m in the Mariana Trench.
Deep-sea organisms were observed in the 17% of plastic debris images,
which include entanglement of plastic bags on chemosynthetic cold seep
communities. Quantitative density analysis for the subset data in the
western North Pacific showed plastic density ranging from 17 to 335
items km−2 at depths of 1092–5977 m. The data show that, in addition to
resource exploitation and industrial development, the influence of
land-based human activities has reached the deepest parts of the ocean
in areas more than 1000 km from the mainland. Establishment of
international frameworks on monitoring of deep-sea plastic pollution as
an Essential Ocean Variable and a data sharing protocol are the keys to
delivering scientific outcomes that are useful for the effective
management of plastic pollution and the conservation of deep-sea
ecosystems.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X17305195/pdfft?md5=df173a4568d58804d3fde4a93bc1dbdd&pid=1-s2.0-S0308597X17305195-main.pdf

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Bu3iIiWqkcdiQ-BdLP6InC8kIaMiRVdf
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.03.022.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X17305195)

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Below the surface: Twenty-five years of seafloor litter monitoring in coastal seas of North West Europe (1992–2017),

Science of The Total Environment,
Volume 630,
2018,
Pages 790-798,
ISSN 0048-9697,

Abstract:

Marine litter presents a global problem, with increasing quantities documented in recent decades. The distribution and abundance of marine litter on the seafloor off the United Kingdom’s (UK) coasts were quantified during 39 independent scientific surveys conducted between 1992 and 2017.

Widespread distribution of litter items, especially plastics, were found on the seabed of the North Sea, English
Channel, Celtic Sea and Irish Sea. High variation in abundance of litter items, ranging from 0 to 1835 pieces km−2 of seafloor, was observed.
Plastic tems such as bags, bottles and fishing related debris were commonly observed across all areas. Over the entire 25-year period (1992–2017), 63% of the 2461 trawls contained at least one plastic litter item. There was no significant temporal trend in the percentage of trawls containing any or total plastic litter items across the
long-term datasets. Statistically significant trends, however, were observed in specific plastic litter categories only. These trends were all positive except for a negative trend in plastic bags in the Greater North Sea – suggesting that behavioural and legislative changes could reduce the problem of marine litter within decades.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969718306442/pdfft?md5=5936dd84ac58d2722be91fbfbde17583&pid=1-s2.0-S0048969718306442-main.pdf

https://drive.google.com/open?id=13jEx6WHAGzgB1XY55nONZTkwvRIoOLVw
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.02.245.(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969718306442)

The post Below the surface: Twenty-five years of seafloor litter monitoring in coastal seas of North West Europe (1992–2017) appeared first on One Earth - One Ocean e. V..

Anticyclonic eddies increase accumulation of microplastic in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre,

Marine Pollution Bulletin,Volume 126, 2018, Pages 191-196, ISSN 0025-326X,

Abstract:

There are fundamental gaps in our understanding of the fates
of microplastics in the ocean, which must be overcome if the severity of
this pollution is to be fully assessed. The predominant pattern is high
accumulation of microplastic in subtropical gyres. Using in situ
measurements from the 7th Continent expedition in the North Atlantic
subtropical gyre, data from satellite observations and models, we show
how microplastic concentrations were up to 9.4 times higher in an
anticyclonic eddy explored, compared to the cyclonic eddy. Although our
sample size is small, this is the first suggestive evidence that
mesoscale eddies might trap, concentrate and potentially transport
microplastics. As eddies are known to congregate nutrients and
organisms, this phenomenon should be considered with regards to the
potential impact of plastic pollution on the ecosystem in the open
ocean.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.10.077.(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X17309232)

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X17309232/pdfft?md5=3affa47e4ef51fbeda060cc8468c9420&pid=1-s2.0-S0025326X17309232-main.pdf

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1PeGCQ8RoCuVwY2qCvwcKa05F9vSVcBJt

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Can the Basel and Stockholm Conventions provide a global framework to reduce the impact of marine plastic litter?

Marine Policy, 2018, ISSN 0308-597X,

Abstract:

The issues resulting from plastic waste in the marine
environment have highlighted a general failure to control this pollutant
on both land and at sea. The international community is now realising
that the increasing growth in the amount of plastic pollution in the
ocean is reaching a critical point. This has led to a questioning of the
current international governance arrangements for marine litter. The
environmental and socio-economic impacts of marine litter are a symptom
of policy failures and greater action is required “upstream” by industry
on land to reduce these impacts. The Stockholm and Basel Conventions are
international binding instruments that offer the best opportunity to
reduce the impacts of plastics and plastic waste globally. We examine
weaknesses in how hazardous wastes are categorised and the options to
close the gaps in the current framework that allow for and keep pace
with innovation. Both conventions are found to be inadequate to manage
the entire lifecycle of all plastic applications. Options are suggested
for strengthening the international legal and policy framework in order
to reduce on a global scale 1) the quantity of plastic waste generated,
and 2) the hazard of plastics throughout their lifecycle.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iM299sslrADl71ufVeHlKRbYXdIKjLbV

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.01.013.(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X17305146)

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Turning the tide on trash: Empowering European educators and school students to tackle marine litter, Marine Policy, 2018,

ISSN 0308-597X,

Abstract:

Marine litter is a global environmental problem, and working
with educators and school students has much potential to facilitate
greater public understanding of the solutions and to enable action. This
research examined two new educational activities designed to empower
European educators and school students to engage with the topic of
marine litter, particularly focusing on behavior and on known
determinants of behavior rather than knowledge alone. In Study 1, 120
educators participated in an online training course on marine litter,
and completed a pre- and post-course questionnaire to assess change.
After participating in the course, educators felt significantly more
skillful and confident to incorporate marine litter education into their
future teaching. In Study 2, 341 school students (7–18 years old)
participated in an educational video competition on marine litter, and
completed a pre-post questionnaire to assess change. Following the
educational activity, students were more concerned about marine litter,
had a better understanding of the issue, causes and impacts, and
reported performing more waste-reduction behaviors. This research brings
together educational and behavioral literatures and demonstrates how
educational activities can be documented and evaluated systematically in
the quest of tackling marine litter.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GuOrqok3_RvB4jyRUSzgFurZmNNHSw7Z
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.02.002.(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X17305122)

The post Turning the tide on trash: Empowering European educators and school students to tackle marine litter appeared first on One Earth - One Ocean e. V..

Marine Policy, 2018, ISSN 0308-597X,

Abstract:

Marine litter is a global environmental problem, and working with educators and school students has much potential to facilitate
greater public understanding of the solutions and to enable action. This research examined two new educational activities designed to empower European educators and school students to engage with the topic of marine litter, particularly focusing on behavior and on known
determinants of behavior rather than knowledge alone.

In Study 1, 120 educators participated in an online training course on marine litter, and completed a pre- and post-course questionnaire to assess change. After participating in the course, educators felt significantly more skillful and confident to incorporate marine litter education into their future teaching.

In Study 2, 341 school students (7–18 years old) participated in an educational video competition on marine litter, and completed a pre-post questionnaire to assess change. Following the educational activity, students were more concerned about marine litter, had a better understanding of the issue, causes and impacts, and reported performing more waste-reduction behaviors.

This research brings together educational and behavioral literatures and demonstrates how educational activities can be documented and evaluated systematically in the quest of tackling marine litter.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.02.002.(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X17305122)

The post Turning the tide on trash: Empowering European educators and school students to tackle marine litter appeared first on One Earth - One Ocean e. V..

Abstract:

Mismanaged waste and marine debris have significant detrimental effects on wildlife, public health, and the economy.

Container deposit legislation (CDL) is one of the many legislative actions proposed by lawmakers to curb the amount of debris entering the
ocean. Beverage containers are consistently among the most commonly littered items, so effective legislation could prove a significant lever
to reduce debris inputs to the marine environment.
The effectiveness of CDL at reducing the amount of beverage container litter on the coasts of two countries, Australia and the United States, was evaluated by comparing results of debris surveys in states with and without cash incentives for returned beverage containers. The proportion of containers found in coastal debris surveys in states with CDL was approximately 40% lower than in states without CDL.

Additionally, CDL states had a higher ratio of lids to bottles, further demonstrating the effectiveness of the incentives in removing bottles from the waste stream. The reduction in beverage containers in the presence of CDL was greater in areas with low socio-economic status, where debris loads are highest.

These results provide strong evidence that fewer beverage containers end up as mismanaged coastal waste in states that provide a
cash refund for returned beverage containers. Findings are discussed in the context of global governance, social license and opportunities to
reduce land-based litter inputs to the ocean.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.02.009.(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X17305377)

The post Economic incentives reduce plastic inputs to the ocean appeared first on One Earth - One Ocean e. V..

Anticyclonic eddies increase accumulation of microplastic in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre

Marine Pollution Bulletin,
Volume 126, 2018, Pages 191-196, ISSN 0025-326X,

Abstract:

There are fundamental gaps in our understanding of the fates of microplastics in the ocean, which must be overcome if the severity of
this pollution is to be fully assessed. The predominant pattern is high accumulation of microplastic in subtropical gyres. Using in situ
measurements from the 7th Continent expedition in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre, data from satellite observations and models, we show how microplastic concentrations were up to 9.4 times higher in an anticyclonic eddy explored, compared to the cyclonic eddy.

Although our sample size is small, this is the first suggestive evidence that mesoscale eddies might trap, concentrate and potentially transport microplastics. As eddies are known to congregate nutrients and organisms, this phenomenon should be considered with regards to the potential impact of plastic pollution on the ecosystem in the open ocean.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X17309232/pdfft?md5=3affa47e4ef51fbeda060cc8468c9420&pid=1-s2.0-S0025326X17309232-main.pdf

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.10.077.(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X17309232)

The post Anticyclonic eddies increase accumulation of microplastic in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre appeared first on One Earth - One Ocean e. V..

Marine litter pollutes Arctic beaches and affects wild life,
Marine Pollution Bulletin,

Available online 28 September 2017, ISSN 0025-326X

Abstract:

Recent data indicate accumulation areas of marine litter in Arctic waters and significant increases over time. Beaches on remote Arctic
islands may be sinks for marine litter and reflect pollution levels ofthe surrounding waters particularly well.
We provide the first quantitative data from surveys carried out by citizen scientists on six beaches of Svalbard.

Litter quantities recorded by cruise touristsvaried from 9–524 g m− 2 and were similar to those from denselypopulated areas.
Plastics accounted for > 80% of the overall litter, most of which originated from fisheries. Photographs provided by
citizens show deleterious effects of beach litter on Arctic wildlife, which is already under strong pressure from global climate change. Our
study highlights the potential of citizen scientists to provide scientifically valuable data on the pollution of sensitive remote
ecosystems.
The results stress once more that current legislative frameworks are insufficient to tackle the pollution of Arctic ecosystems.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X17307919/pdfft?md5=97f6ec46875219bde58053e8afcad52a&pid=1-s2.0-S0025326X17307919-main.pdf

The post Marine litter pollutes Arctic beaches and affects wild life appeared first on One Earth - One Ocean e. V..

Abstract:
Recent data indicate accumulation areas of marine litter in Arctic
waters and significant increases over time. Beaches on remote Arctic
islands may be sinks for marine litter and reflect pollution levels of
the surrounding waters particularly well. We provide the first
quantitative data from surveys carried out by citizen scientists on six
beaches of Svalbard. Litter quantities recorded by cruise tourists
varied from 9–524 g m− 2 and were similar to those from densely
populated areas. Plastics accounted for > 80% of the overall litter,
most of which originated from fisheries. Photographs provided by
citizens show deleterious effects of beach litter on Arctic wildlife,
which is already under strong pressure from global climate change. Our
study highlights the potential of citizen scientists to provide
scientifically valuable data on the pollution of sensitive remote
ecosystems. The results stress once more that current legislative
frameworks are insufficient to tackle the pollution of Arctic
ecosystems.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X17307919/pdfft?md5=97f6ec46875219bde58053e8afcad52a&pid=1-s2.0-S0025326X17307919-main.pdf

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.09.055.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X17307919)

The post Citizen scientists reveal: Marine litter pollutes Arctic beaches and affects wild life appeared first on One Earth - One Ocean e. V..