scholarly journals Plastic Pollution in Aquatic Ecosystems: From Research to Public Awareness

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Irene Martins ◽  
C. Marisa R. Almeida ◽  
Sandra Ramos
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Plastic Pollution

The global threat from plastic pollution

Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 373 (6550) ◽  
pp. 61-65
Author(s):  
Matthew MacLeod ◽  
Hans Peter H. Arp ◽  
Mine B. Tekman ◽  
Annika Jahnke
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Keystone Species ◽  
Nutrient Cycles ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Habitat Changes ◽  
Plastic Materials ◽  
Mineralization Processes ◽  
Biological Impacts ◽  
Societal Impacts ◽  
Global Threat

Plastic pollution accumulating in an area of the environment is considered “poorly reversible” if natural mineralization processes occurring there are slow and engineered remediation solutions are improbable. Should negative outcomes in these areas arise as a consequence of plastic pollution, they will be practically irreversible. Potential impacts from poorly reversible plastic pollution include changes to carbon and nutrient cycles; habitat changes within soils, sediments, and aquatic ecosystems; co-occurring biological impacts on endangered or keystone species; ecotoxicity; and related societal impacts. The rational response to the global threat posed by accumulating and poorly reversible plastic pollution is to rapidly reduce plastic emissions through reductions in consumption of virgin plastic materials, along with internationally coordinated strategies for waste management.

scholarly journals How important risk analysis of plastic pollution in coastal area? Case study in Masohi, Central Maluku

2020 ◽  
Vol 200 ◽  
pp. 02014
Author(s):  
Bachtiar W Mutaqin ◽  
Muh Aris Marfai ◽  
Muhammad Helmi ◽  
Nurhadi Nurhadi ◽  
Muhammad Rizali Umarella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Awareness ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Marine Biota ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Almost All ◽  
And Function ◽  
Interdisciplinary Study

Human pressure on the coastal and aquatic surrounding ecosystem in Indonesia, through plastic waste, is increasing, considering that 60 % of the approximately 250 million people live in the coastal areas. Plastic waste originating from human activities has become a massive problem in almost all the small island and coastal regions, especially in the eastern part of Indonesia. This condition is caused by poor waste management and a lack of public awareness in disposing of waste in its place, including in an area known as its marine biodiversities and marine tourism spots like Masohi in Central Maluku. Also, the composition of waste is dominated by plastic waste that cannot be decomposed in a short period, continue circulated on the ocean currents, and will be deposited in coastal areas. Furthermore, some plastic waste will break down into micro-plastics that pollute not only the environment but also marine biota, which are often consumed by humans. This situation profoundly affects the sustainability and function of aquaecosystem services in coastal areas. Therefore, a comprehensive policy and regulation, and interdisciplinary study for analysing vulnerable coastal ecosystem, and mitigating the potential risk of plastic pollution in Masohi, Central Maluku are essential to be conducted.

scholarly journals Bioplastics – An Eco-friendly Alternative to Petrochemical Plastics

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Selvamurugan Muthusamy ◽  
Sivakumar Pramasivam
Keyword(s):  
Public Awareness ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Global Estimate ◽  
The Past ◽  
Past Half Century ◽  
Term Change ◽  
Past Half ◽  
Emission Of Greenhouse Gases

Plastics have varied application and have become an essential part of our daily lives. The use of the plastics has increased twenty-fold in the past half-century and is expected to double again in the next 20 years. As a global estimate, around 330 million tonnes of the plastics are produced per annum. The production, use and disposal of the plastics emerged as a persistent and potential environmental nuisance. The improper disposal of the plastics ends up in our environment, resulting in the deaths of millions of animals annually and also the reduction in fertility status of the soil. The bioplastics products are manufactured to be biodegradable with similar functionality to that of conventional plastics, which has the potential to reduce the dependence on petrochemicals based plastics and related environmental problems. The expansion and development of the bioplastics and their products would lead to the increase in the sustainability of environment and reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases. The bioplastics innovation would be a key to the long-term solution for the plastic pollution. However, a widespread public awareness is also essential in effecting longer-term change against plastic pollution.

scholarly journals A nationwide assessment of plastic pollution in the Danish realm using citizen science

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristian Syberg ◽  
Annemette Palmqvist ◽  
Farhan R. Khan ◽  
Jakob Strand ◽  
Jes Vollertsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
Pollution Research ◽  
Beach Litter ◽  
Citizen Science Project ◽  
Scientific Survey

Abstract Plastic pollution is considered one of today’s major environmental problems. Current land-based monitoring programs typically rely on beach litter data and seldom include plastic pollution further inland. We initiated a citizen science project known as the Mass Experiment inviting schools throughout The Danish Realm (Denmark, Greenland and the Faeroe Islands) to collect litter samples of and document plastic pollution in 8 different nature types. In total approximately 57,000 students (6–19 years) collected 374,082 plastic items in 94 out of 98 Danish municipalities over three weeks during fall 2019. The Mass Experiment was the first scientific survey of plastic litter to cover an entire country. Here we show how citizen science, conducted by students, can be used to fill important knowledge gaps in plastic pollution research, increase public awareness, establish large scale clean-up activities and subsequently provide information to political decision-makers aiming for a more sustainable future.

scholarly journals Diversity of Aquatic Ecosystems in Urban Areas - Public Expectations

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-134
Author(s):  
Joanna Sender ◽  
Weronika Maślanko
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Urban Ecosystems ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Natural Lakes ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
Bodies Of Water ◽  
River Valleys

Abstract In urban ecosystems, typically created by humans, it is very difficult to balance the needs of all its inhabitants. Significance of nature in the cities has been perceived since the ancient times. In the city there are many problems associated with the lack or sometimes excess of water, as well as poor quality. In times of water resources decline and their progressive degradation, each aquatic ecosystem should be investigated because of its values. Among the aquatic ecosystems occurring in the cities, there are: river valleys, natural lakes, water reservoirs, as well as small bodies of water. The aim of this study is to raise public awareness about the role of aquatic ecosystems in cities with different sizes and with a varying number of inhabitants. All respondents in each type of city felt the need of water presence in their surroundings and treated it as a necessary part of the proper functioning, as well as a place for rest and recreation. However, lack of management and a poor ecological status of them were noticed

scholarly journals Karakteristik dan Sebaran Sampah Terdampar di Kawasan Pesisir Taman Nasional Bali Barat

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Putra Bagus Panji Pamungkas ◽  
I Gede Hendrawan ◽  
I Nyoman Giri Putra
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Area ◽  
National Park ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Relative Size ◽  
Marine Debris ◽  
Anthropogenic Activity ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
The West ◽  
Conservation Area ◽  
Industrial Research Organization

The existence of marine debris can be a threat to marine ecosystems. Several studies have shown that marine debris can cause death of marine organisms and a degradation of ecosystems. The West Bali National Park (TNBB) is a conservation area in Bali that is also susceptible to be affected by marine debris pollution, due to its high population and anthropogenic activity in the area. Bali generates about 4.281 tons of waste per day, where 11% of it ends up in the ocean. Therefore, research about marine debris in TNBB is important. The purpose of this research is to find out the characteristics and distribution of stranded marine debris in the TNBB coastal area. This research was conducted in February 2020 at 23 stations by the shoreline. Marine debris data collection was carried out by adapting the method developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Global Plastic Pollution Project. Marine debris exists along the coastline with the concentration range between 0.05 – 28.47 items/m2 with the average of 4.29 items/m2. As much as 92.3% of waste were plastic, dominated by three major debris classes, including soft plastic (44.8%), foam (30.8%), and hard plastic (12.4%). Marine debris in the area has various sizes and shapes. As much as 57.9% of debris at TNBB were whole items and the rest of it were fragment items. Marine debris size at TNBB tend to have a big relative size, i.e. between 8-16 cm (32%). Generally, marine debris at TNBB were mostly daily consumer items. Therefore, public awareness play an important role to decrease the amount of marine debris on the TNBB coastal area.

scholarly journals Engineering Microbes to Bio-Upcycle Polyethylene Terephthalate

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lakshika Dissanayake ◽  
Lahiru N. Jayakody
Keyword(s):  
Polyethylene Terephthalate ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Chemical Recycling ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Microbial Cell Factories ◽  
Cell Factories ◽  
Value Added Products

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is globally the largest produced aromatic polyester with an annual production exceeding 50 million metric tons. PET can be mechanically and chemically recycled; however, the extra costs in chemical recycling are not justified when converting PET back to the original polymer, which leads to less than 30% of PET produced annually to be recycled. Hence, waste PET massively contributes to plastic pollution and damaging the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The global energy and environmental concerns with PET highlight a clear need for technologies in PET “upcycling,” the creation of higher-value products from reclaimed PET. Several microbes that degrade PET and corresponding PET hydrolase enzymes have been successfully identified. The characterization and engineering of these enzymes to selectively depolymerize PET into original monomers such as terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol have been successful. Synthetic microbiology and metabolic engineering approaches enable the development of efficient microbial cell factories to convert PET-derived monomers into value-added products. In this mini-review, we present the recent progress of engineering microbes to produce higher-value chemical building blocks from waste PET using a wholly biological and a hybrid chemocatalytic–biological strategy. We also highlight the potent metabolic pathways to bio-upcycle PET into high-value biotransformed molecules. The new synthetic microbes will help establish the circular materials economy, alleviate the adverse energy and environmental impacts of PET, and provide market incentives for PET reclamation.

A country's response to tackling plastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems: The Chilean way

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. Urbina ◽  
G. Luna‐Jorquera ◽  
M. Thiel ◽  
T. Acuña‐Ruz ◽  
M.A. Amenábar Cristi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Plastic Pollution

scholarly journals Production of the environmental documentary ''PLASTICLYSM''

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michalis Katsouris ◽  
Gerasimos Pavlogeorgatos
Keyword(s):  
Production Process ◽  
Documentary Film ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Environmental Problems ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Plastic Pollution

Documentary film is one of the strongest audiovisual means of communication. Its strength comes from the combination of image, audio and information it includes. The use of documentary film to raise public awareness towards many different topics is common throughout history. Nowadays, several environmental documentaries are produced every year. One of the most serious environmental problems that modern societies are facing is that of plastic pollution. In global scale, plastic production is estimated at 300 million tons annually. This paper discusses environmental documentary as a genre and describes the production process of the environmental documentary “PLASTICLYSM”.

scholarly journals Modelling plastics exposure for the marine biota: Risk maps for fin whales in the Pelagos Sanctuary (North-Western Mediterranean)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Guerrini ◽  
Lorenzo Mari ◽  
Renato Casagrandi
Keyword(s):  
Marine Pollution ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Marine Biota ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Marine Litter ◽  
Fin Whales ◽  
Suitable Habitats ◽  
North Western

AbstractThe Mediterranean basin is among the most impacted marine ecoregions globally, being at the same time semi-enclosed by densely populated countries and crossed by trafficked maritime routes. Such anthropogenic pressure threatens both the qual-ity of its waters and the high biodiversity living in them, making the role of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) crucial for pre-serving species suitable habitats. Under the European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive, marine litter has been recognized as one of the principal causes of marine pollution, and public awareness on its environmental and biological impacts is raising. Using a quantitative and data-driven modelling approach, here we assess the presence of plastic waste within the feeding grounds of the fin whale Balaenoptera physalus, an endangered cetacean for which there is increasing evidence of impacts due to microplastic ingestion. To this end, we analyze a decade (2000 - 2010) of advection patterns of marine plastic litter, modelled with a Lagrangian approach. Particles are released in the MPA Pelagos, the International Sanctuary for the Protection of Mediterranean Marine Mammals (North-Western Mediterranean, between France, Italy and Monaco), from different sources (i.e., untreated waste along coasts, plastic discharged from rivers and plastic pollution released along maritime shipping routes). Risk of exposure of fin whales to microplastic pollution is evaluated by interlacing plastic litter distribution maps obtained through modelling with maps of suitable habitats obtained from the elaboration of satellite chlorophyll-a data in species-specific visited areas. Our modelling results show that all the three main sources of plastic litter taken into account clearly contribute to impacting cetaceans in the Sanctuary, yet in a different manner. The procedure formalized here can be extended to assess the risk caused by plastic pollution in other MPAs as well as to evaluate possible impacts on other taxa, thus informing targeted actions to tackle the complex issue of marine litter.

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