Litter on the Sea Floor Along European Coasts

Galgani, François; Léauté, Jean-Pierre; Moguedet, Philippe; Souplet, Arnauld; Vérin, Yves; Carpentier, André C.; Goraguer, Herlé; Latrouite, Daniel; Andral, Bruno; Cadiou, Yvon; Mahé, Jean-Claude; Poulard, Jean-Charles; Nerisson, P

doi:10.1016/s0025-326x(99)00234-9

Cited by 505 publications

(332 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…A large part of these materials decomposes only slowly or not at all. This phenomenon can also be observed on the seafloor where 90 % of litter caught in benthic trawls is plastic (Galil et al 1995;Galgani et al 1995Galgani et al , 2000Ramirez-Llodra et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…Litter often strands on beaches that lack strong prevalent winds, which may blow them offshore (Galgani et al 2000;Costa et al 2011). Abundance or composition of litter often varies even among different parts of an individual beach (Claereboudt 2004) with higher amounts found frequently at high-tide or storm-level lines (Oigman-Pszczol and Creed 2007).…”

Section: Beachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a general pattern, accumulation rates appear to be lower in the southern than in the northern hemisphere. Enclosed seas such as the Mediterranean or Black Sea may harbor some of the highest densities of marine litter on the seafloor, reaching more than 100,000 items km −2 (Galgani et al 2000). In surface waters, the problem of plastic fragments has increased in the last few decades.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Global Distribution, Composition and Abundance of Marine Litter

Galgani

Hanke

Maes

2015

Marine Anthropogenic Litter

445

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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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Beachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Global Distribution, Composition and Abundance of Marine Litter

Galgani

Hanke

Maes

2015

Marine Anthropogenic Litter

445

338

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“…The Mediterranean is subject to permanent waste inputs, such as that occurring on the continental shelf of the Golf du Lion. This area is affected by the outflow from the Rhone River and by NW winds (the Mistral and Tramontane winds) that flush wastes towards offshore waters (Galgani et al, 2000).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neustonic microplastic and zooplankton in the North Western Mediterranean Sea

Collignon

Hecq

Glagani

et al. 2012

Marine Pollution Bulletin

515

174

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a b s t r a c tNeustonic microplastic and zooplankton abundance was determined in the North Western Mediterranean Sea during a summer cruise between July 9th and August 6th 2010, with a break between July 22th and 25th due to a strong wind event. Ninety percent of the 40 stations contained microplastic particles (size 0.3-5 mm) of various compositions: e.g., filaments, polystyrene, thin plastic films. An average concentration of 0.116 particles/m 2 was observed. The highest abundances (>0.36 particles/m 2 ) were observed in shelf stations.The neustonic plastic particles concentrations were 5 times higher before than after the strong wind event which increased the mixing and the vertical repartition of plastic particles in the upper layers of the water column. The values rise in the same order of magnitude than in the North Pacific Gyre. The average ratio between microplastics and mesozooplankton weights was 0.5 for the whole survey and might induce a potential confusion for zooplankton feeders.

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“…For example, the Cassidaigne canyon near Marseilles has been used by the aluminum industry for damping its wastes ("red mud"). Marine litter (defined as any manufactured or processed solid waste material that enters the marine environment from any source) has been found to accumulate in high densities in submarine canyons (Galgani et al, 2000) with significant impact to benthic fauna. Bottom fishing, especially trawling, might be an important threat to the biocommunities of some submarine canyons.…”

Section: Submarine Canyons On the Continental Slope (Eunis A681)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of goods and services, vulnerability, and conservation status of European seabed biotopes: a stepping stone towards ecosystem-based marine spatial management

et al. 2012

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The goal of ecosystem-based marine spatial management is to maintain marine ecosystems in a healthy, productive and resilient condition; hence, they can sustainably provide the needed goods and services for human welfare. However, the increasing pressures upon the marine realm threaten marine ecosystems, especially seabed biotopes, and thus a well-planned approach of managing use of marine space is essential to achieve sustainability. The relative value of seabed biotopes, evaluated on the basis of goods and services, is an important starting point for the spatial management of marine areas. Herein, 56 types of European seabed biotopes and their related goods, services, sensitivity issues, and conservation status were compiled, the latter referring to management and protection tools which currently apply for these biotopes at European or international level. Fishing activities, especially by benthic trawls, and marine pollution are the main threats to European seabed biotopes. Increased seawater turbidity, dredged sediment disposal, coastal constructions, biological invasions, mining, extraction of raw materials, shipping-related activities, tourism, hydrocarbon exploration, and even some practices of scientific research, also exert substantial pressure. Although some first steps have been taken to protect the European sea beds through international agreements and European and national legislation, a finer scale of classification and assessment of marine biotopes is considered crucial in shaping sound priorities and management guidelines towards the effective conservation and sustainability of European marine resources.

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Litter on the Sea Floor Along European Coasts

Cited by 505 publications

References 22 publications

Global Distribution, Composition and Abundance of Marine Litter

Global Distribution, Composition and Abundance of Marine Litter

Neustonic microplastic and zooplankton in the North Western Mediterranean Sea

Assessment of goods and services, vulnerability, and conservation status of European seabed biotopes: a stepping stone towards ecosystem-based marine spatial management

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