First observations on the abundance and composition of floating debris in the North-western Black Sea.

The occurrence of marine litter in the Black Sea region is poorly known and even less data have been reported on the abundance of floating debris. Here we present results from a ship-based visual survey carried out in the North-Western part of the Black Sea, providing the first preliminary data on the characteristics of floating debris in Romanian waters. High litter densities peaking to 135.9 items/km(2) were found in the study area (mean 30.9 ± 7.4 items/km(2)). Probably due to the proximity of the Danube delta, natural debris were on average, much more abundant than anthropogenic litter in most surveyed locations (mean 141.4 ± 47.1 items/km(2), max 1131.3 items/km(2)). Most of the 225 objects we sighted consisted of pieces of wood and other riparian debris (75.5%), however plastic items remained undoubtedly the most abundant type of litter, representing 89.1% of all sighted man-made items. The Black Sea is not exempt from the global invasion of floating debris, however data are still lacking and a basin-wide survey is urgently needed to identify accumulation areas and develop regionally effective solutions to the problem of marine litter.

Suaria G ，Melinte-Dobrinescu MC ，Ion G ，Aliani S ... -  《-》

Floating debris in the Mediterranean Sea.

Results from the first large-scale survey of floating natural (NMD) and anthropogenic (AMD) debris (>2 cm) in the central and western part of the Mediterranean Sea are reported. Floating debris was found throughout the entire study area with densities ranging from 0 to 194.6 items/km(2) and mean abundances of 24.9 AMD items/km(2) and 6.9 NMD items/km(2) across all surveyed locations. On the whole, 78% of all sighted objects were of anthropogenic origin, 95.6% of which were petrochemical derivatives (i.e. plastic and styrofoam). Maximum AMD densities (>52 items/km(2)) were found in the Adriatic Sea and in the Algerian basin, while the lowest densities (<6.3 items/km(2)) were observed in the Central Tyrrhenian and in the Sicilian Sea. All the other areas had mean densities ranging from 10.9 to 30.7 items/km(2). According to our calculations, more than 62 million macro-litter items are currently floating on the surface of the whole Mediterranean basin.

Suaria G ，Aliani S 《-》

Abundance and composition of floating marine macro litter on the eastern sector of the Mediterranean Sea.

Floating marine litter is known to be currently a widespread pollution problem, especially in the Mediterranean basin, but records on the levels of floating debris in the eastern part are less known. By using an observation platform (32 days, 137 transects, 1784 km), this study provides evidence of a high amount of floating debris in the Levantine sub-basin, within the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The density of floating litter varied between 18 and 1593 items km-2 (average 232 ± 325 items km-2), and small plastic debris accounted for >90% of the items surveyed. These values tend to be higher than densities reported for the central and western Mediterranean areas, which may be related to the circulation patterns and inputs from coastal sources. Significant correlations of floating macro litter density with wind force and sea state were found, thus strengthening the need to standardise protocols (including oceanographic variables) of visual surveys of floating debris.

Constantino E ，Martins I ，Salazar Sierra JM ，Bessa F ... -  《-》

Floating marine macro litter in the Black Sea: Toward baselines for large scale assessment.

The Black Sea is a semi-enclosed basin subject to major anthropogenic pressures, including marine litter and plastic pollution. Due to numerous large rivers draining into the basin and a population settled along the coast, the region could accumulate significant amounts of floating litter over time. Until now, only limited field data were available, and litter quantities and distribution remained unknown. In this study, floating marine macro litter (FMML) was assessed at the regional Black Sea scale for the first time, showing relatively high litter densities across the basin that reached a weighted mean of 81.5 items/km2. Monitoring data revealed an accumulation of floating items offshore in the eastern part of the basin, resembling on a small scale a 'garbage patch', where litter items were trapped, showing elevated densities in comparison to their surrounding areas. Most of these items were made of plastic materials (ca. 96%) and included large numbers of plastic and polystyrene fragments of small size ranges (2.5-10 cm). Harmonised field data collection through consistent and regular monitoring programmes across the region is essential to establish baselines and thresholds for large scale assessment at international level.

González-Fernández D ，Hanke G ，Pogojeva M ，Machitadze N ，Kotelnikova Y ，Tretiak I ，Savenko O ，Bilashvili K ，Gelashvili N ，Fedorov A ，Kulagin D ，Terentiev A ，Slobodnik J ... -  《-》

Microplastics and floating litter pollution in Bulgarian Black Sea coastal waters.

Although marine plastic litter has been recognized as a global problem, there are insufficient data on the extent of plastic pollution in the Black Sea. The results from this pilot study of the floating marine litter and microplastics along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast revealed high quantities of floating litter (60.3-93.8 items.km-2). The microplastic concentrations (1.14 × 104-1.91 × 105 items.km-2, 0.33-490.52 g.km-2) were on average lower than those found in other parts of the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, although the observed ranges were similar. Further studies are needed to elaborate the extent and spatial distribution of this type of pollution in the Black Sea basin.

Berov D ，Klayn S 《-》