Composition, sources, abundance and seasonality of Marine Litter in the Çakalburnu lagoon coast of Aegean Sea

Abstract

The Aegean Sea is one of the most contaminated by marine litter (ML) in the World. In this study, the Turkish Aegean Region was evaluated in light of the sources, abundance and composition of ML along Çakalburnu Lagoon coast. Macroscopic ML with > 3 cm was collected and separated into composition and sources categories. ML abundance was calculated by its density in items/m 2 (Mean ± SD). Beach cleanliness was evaluated according to Clean-Coast Index (CCI). Seasonality was found as factor for ML composition, sources and abundance at Çakalburnu coast. Plastic was the most abundant material, followed by unidentifiable items. The major sources of ML were mixed packaging, domestic and fisheries activities. The mean ML density was 0.64 ± 0.09 items/m 2 . Çakalburnu coast was classified as dirty during all seasons. Therefore, ML contamination on Çakalburnu coast represent a potential threat to coastal and marine environments. Thus, the present study can serve as a base for the elaboration of mitigating actions urgently needed at Çakalburnu Lagoon.

Çanakkale Boğazı Kıyısında Kayalık Bir Alanda Toplanan Deniz Çöplerinin Yıllık Değişimi

“…All of these studies were carried out on soft substrate areas such as beaches or dunes. In addition, a study was carried out in Çakalburnu Lagoon on the Aegean Sea (Ertaş et al, 2022). Beaches around Marmara Sea including those from the Çanakkale Strait were investigated for the buried macro marine litters (Artüz et al, 2021).…”