Mediterranean marine biodiversity under threat: Reviewing influence of marine litter on species

Plastic Debris Occurrence, Convergence Areas and Fin Whales Feeding Ground in the Mediterranean Marine Protected Area Pelagos Sanctuary: A Modeling Approach

“…This is exacerbated by the basin's limited water exchanges as well as by the presence of densely populated and trafficked coastal areas. An increasing number of studies have investigated the interactions of marine fauna with marine debris in the Mediterranean basin, covering a vast array of species affected by marine litter, such as invertebrates, fish, reptiles and birds (Campani et al, 2013;Codina-García et al, 2013;Deudero and Alomar, 2015;Romeo et al, 2015;Alomar et al, 2016). On the other hand, research on the impact of microplastics (plastic fragments smaller than 5 mm) and mesoplastics (plastic fragments smaller than 25 mm) on large filter-feeding species such fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is a largely unexplored topic.…”

Lagrangian Transport of Marine Litter in the Mediterranean Sea

“…The comparison of our outcomes with the results of in situ litter observations is far from straightforward; this is mainly due to the sporadic character of observations, strongly constrained by research vessel time and routes, and inevitably not synoptic (see, e.g., the review of observations provided by Deudero and Alomar (2015), which displays the presence of large gaps in the coverage of the Mediterranean). A proper validation would call for systematic in space and repeated in time measurement campaigns that are currently not even planned (we will return to this point in the conclusions).…”

“…It can travel very far from its sources, because time scales of degradation and transformation of plastics are much longer than the scales of transport (Barnes et al, 2009;Andrady, 2011). It harms marine species and ecosystems: threating biodiversity, favoring the spreading of invasive alien species and entering the food chainthrough which it is transferred to larger predators including humans (Deudero and Alomar, 2015). Attempts to quantify plastic debris in the Mediterranean date back to 1980, when a quantitative visual survey reported around 1300 plastic items per square kilometer in a central region of the basin (Morris, 1980).…”

Illegal immigration in the eastern Aegean Sea: a new source of marine litter

“…Many of these items will end up on the seabed (see Fig. 1H) or will remain floating on surface waters, with important consequences for marine life (Katsanevakis, 2008;Deudero & Alomar, 2015). Large items on the seabed such as plastic pieces from inflatable boats (Fig.…”