Distribution characteristics of marine litter on the sea bed of the East China Sea and the South Sea of Korea

Lee, Dae-In; Cho, Hyeon-Seo; Jeong, Sun-Beom

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2006.06.003

Cited by 103 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The main sources of marine litter at a coastal site are (1) offshore sources which include industrial and domestic waste disposed off at sea, fishing and shipping waste, and sewage related debris, and (2) land-based sources which include litter originating from visitors to the coast, or those originating from the unauthorized dumping of large items such as landfill materials (Horsman, 1982;Jones, 1995;Coe and Rogers, 1997;Derraik, 2002;Lee et al, 2006;Santos et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine litter in coral reef areas along the Jordan Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea

Abu-Hilal

Al-Najjar²

2009

Journal of Environmental Management

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine litter in coral reef areas along the Jordan Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea

Abu-Hilal

Al-Najjar²

2009

Journal of Environmental Management

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“…Also with plastic as a main component, debris from the fishing industry is prevalent in fishing areas (Kanehiro et al 1995;Galgani et al 2000). This type of material accounts for a high percentage of debris, for example up to 72 per cent in eastern China Sea (Lee et al 2006) and 65 per cent in the Celtic sea (Galgani et al 2000). Finally, fishing gear was also the dominant source of both plastic and overall debris in California (Moore & Allen 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments

Barnes

Galgani

Thompson

et al. 2009

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

4,892

2,383

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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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“…Continental shelves are considered as accumulation zones for marine debris (Lee et al 2006), however, often with lower concentrations of debris than adjacent canyons because debris is not retained but washed offshore by currents associated with (2014) offshore winds and river plumes. Only few studies have assessed debris below 500 m depth (June 1990;Galil et al 1995;Galgani et al 1996Galgani et al , 2000Galgani and Lecornu 2004;Keller et al 2010;Miyake et al 2011;Mordecai et al 2011;Bergmann and Klages 2012;Wei et al 2012;Pham et al 2013Pham et al , 2014Ramirez-Llodra et al 2013, Schlining et al 2013Fischer et al 2015;Vieira et al 2014);Galgani et al (2000) observed trends in deep-sea pollution over time off the European coast with an extremely variable distribution and debris accumulating in submarine canyons.…”

Section: Seafloormentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Distribution, Composition and Abundance of Marine Litter

Galgani

Hanke

Maes

2015

Marine Anthropogenic Litter

444

338

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Marine debris is commonly observed everywhere in the oceans. Litter enters the seas from both land-based sources, from ships and other installations at sea, from point and diffuse sources, and can travel long distances before being stranded. Plastics typically constitute the most important part of marine litter sometimes accounting for up to 100 % of floating litter. On beaches, most studies have demonstrated densities in the 1 item m −2 range except for very high concentrations because of local conditions, after typhoons or flooding events. Floating marine debris ranges from 0 to beyond 600 items km −2 . On the sea bed, the abundance of plastic debris is very dependent on location, with densities ranging from 0 to >7700 items km −2 , mainly in coastal areas. Recent studies have demonstrated that pollution of microplastics, particles <5 mm, has spread at the surface of oceans, in the water column and in sediments, even in the deep sea. Concentrations at the water surface ranged from thousands to hundred thousands of particles km −2 . Fluxes vary widely with factors such as proximity of urban activities, shore and coastal uses, wind and ocean currents. These enable the presence of accumulation areas in oceanic convergence zones and on the seafloor, notably in coastal canyons. Temporal trends are not clear with evidences for increases, decreases or without changes, depending on locations and environmental conditions. In terms of distribution and quantities, proper global estimations based on standardized approaches are still needed before considering efficient management and reduction measures.

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Distribution characteristics of marine litter on the sea bed of the East China Sea and the South Sea of Korea

Cited by 103 publications

References 17 publications

Marine litter in coral reef areas along the Jordan Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea

Marine litter in coral reef areas along the Jordan Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea

Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments

Global Distribution, Composition and Abundance of Marine Litter

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