What’s that Floating in my Soup? Characterisation and Handling of Floating Debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatimah Sulu-Gambari ◽  
Matthias Egger ◽  
Laurent Lebreton
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
North Pacific Ocean ◽  
Organic Pollutant ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Marine Debris ◽  
Microbial Consortia ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
The North ◽  
Ocean Gyres

<p>There is extensive documentation of plastic debris in the marine environment [1]. Citizen science programs and tracking apps have been used more recently in the collection of data on plastics in marine settings [1]. These programs, however, are focussed on debris collected from beach cleanups and coastal environments. Large debris currently afloat in ocean garbage patches, which contribute significantly to marine plastic pollution, are less well-characterised. Buoyant plastics accumulate offshore in the five ocean gyres, the largest of which is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) in the North Pacific Ocean. There, they are seen floating in a loosely concentrated ‘soup’. Over time they degrade in saltwater, under UV radiation, with the help of wind and wave action. They also serve as substrates for trace metal and organic pollutant adsorption, as well as the growth of microbial consortia and larger potentially invasive organisms. There is currently limited data collection on sources of large floating plastics in ocean gyres. Majority of data collected on plastics in the garbage patches is based on trawled sampling techniques that exclude objects larger than 0.5m [2]. Large debris are important for elucidation of the overall mass of plastic in the patches. We know that 8% of the GPGP is comprised of microplastics and thus larger objects constitute the greater fraction of the total plastic mass [2], which we know little about. It is important to understand what types of debris accumulate in the patches, their land-/marine-based origins and the locations from which they enter the ocean. Where the debris is produced and what practices (commercial, cultural, industrial) contribute to their accumulation in the garbage patches is also pivotal data that needs to be collected. This information, coupled to data on how long the plastics persist and how well they persevere in the marine environment, is necessary for creating effective and efficient mitigation strategies.</p><p> </p><p>References</p><p>[1] Jambeck, J. R. & Johnsen, K. Citizen-Based Litter and Marine Debris Data Collection and Mapping. Computing in Science & Engineering, <strong>17</strong>, 20-26 (2015).</p><p>[2] Lebreton, L. et al. 2018. Evidence that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is rapidly accumulating plastic. Scientific Reports, <strong>8</strong>, 4666 (2018).</p>

scholarly journals Relative Abundance of Floating Plastic Debris and Neuston in the Eastern North Pacific Ocean

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Egger ◽  
Lauren Quiros ◽  
Giulia Leone ◽  
Francesco Ferrari ◽  
Christiana M. Boerger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Observational Data ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
North Pacific Ocean ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Relative Distribution ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Plastic Debris ◽  
The North ◽  
Oceanic Gyres

Despite an increasing research conducted on ocean plastic pollution over the last decade, there are still large knowledge gaps in our current understanding of how floating plastic debris accumulating in subtropical oceanic gyres may harm the surface-associated pelagic community known as neuston. Removing floating plastic debris from the surface ocean can minimize potentially adverse effects of plastic pollution on the neuston, as well as prevent the formation of large quantities of secondary micro- and nanoplastics. However, due to the scarcity of observational data from remote and difficult to access offshore waters, neuston dynamics in subtropical oceanic gyres and thus the potential impacts of plastic pollution as well as of cleanup activities on the neuston remain uncertain. Here, we provide rare observational data of the relative distribution of floating plastic debris (0.05–5 cm in size) and members of the neuston in the eastern North Pacific Ocean. Our results reveal that the dominant neustonic species co-occurring with high concentrations of floating plastic debris in the North Pacific Garbage Patch (NPGP) such as Porpita porpita, Halobates spp., pteropods, isopods, heteropods, and crabs depict either a low atmospheric drag due to physical attributes or a potential plastic-associated fitness benefit such as increased surface area for oviposition and structure for habitat. We further observe relatively higher plastic to organism ratios inside the NPGP for most target species compared to waters outside the NPGP. The findings presented here provide a first observational baseline to develop ecological models that can help evaluate the long-term risks of plastic pollution and of offshore cleanup activities for neuston in the eastern North Pacific Ocean. We further suggest that offshore mitigation strategies aiming at removing floating plastic debris from the ocean surface need to evaluate both, the direct impact of neuston bycatch during plastic removal on neuston population dynamics, as well as the potential benefits of reducing the negative effects of plastic pollution on the neuston.

Characterizing plastic debris accumulating in the North Pacific Garbage Patch

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Egger ◽  
Wouter Jan Strietman ◽  
Ulphard Thoden van Velzen ◽  
Ingeborg Smeding-Zuurendonk ◽  
Laurent Lebreton
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Coastal Environments ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Plastic Debris ◽  
The North ◽  
Beach Litter ◽  
Oceanic Gyres ◽  
The North Pacific

<p>Citizen science programs and tracking applications have been used in the collection of data on plastic debris in marine environments to determine its composition and sources. These programs, however, are mostly focused on debris collected from beach cleanups and coastal environments. Large plastic debris currently afloat at sea, which is a significant contributor to marine plastic pollution and a major source of beach litter, is less well-characterized.</p><p>Transported by currents, wind and waves, positively buoyant plastic objects eventually accumulate at the sea surface of subtropical oceanic gyres, forming the so-called ocean garbage patches. It is important to know where the debris that persists in the offshore gyres is entering the ocean, where it is produced and what practices (commercial, cultural, industrial) are contributing to the accumulation of these debris into the ocean garbage patches. This information coupled to data on how long and well the plastics persevere at the sea surface is necessary for creating effective and efficient mitigation strategies.</p><p>Here we provide a comprehensive assessment of plastic debris afloat in the North Pacific Garbage Patch (NPGP). Offshore debris collected by The Ocean Cleanup’s System 001b from the NPGP in 2019 was analyzed using the Litter-ID method, which applies an adapted and expended version of the OSPAR guideline for monitoring beach litter. Our results reveal new insights into the composition, origin and age of plastic debris accumulating at the ocean surface in the NPGP. The standardized methodology applied here further enables a first thorough comparison of plastic debris accumulating in offshore waters and coastal environments.</p>

scholarly journals ANALISIS SAMPAH LAUT (MARINE DEBRIS) DI PANTAI KUALO KOTA BENGKULU

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-289
Author(s):  
Yar Johan ◽  
Person Pesona Renta ◽  
Ali Muqsit ◽  
Dewi Purnama ◽  
Leni Maryani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
General Public ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Marine Debris ◽  
Purposive Sampling ◽  
Community Activities ◽  
Organic Debris

Sampah laut (marine debris) adalah bahan sisa-sisa produk yang ditinggalkan atau dibuang ke laut oleh manusia baik dengan sengaja maupun tidak sengaja ditinggalkan di dalam lingkungan laut. Penelitian Sampah laut (marine debris) di Pantai Kualo Kota Bengkulu diharapkan dapat memberikan informasi dan data kepada mahasiswa, peneliti, pemerintah dan masyarakat umum sebagai informasi ilmiah awal tentang jenis dan bobot serta laju pertambahan sampah laut (marine debris) yang tersebar di Pantai Kualo Kota Bengkulu. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan teknik purposive sampling melalui observasi untuk mendapatkan komposisi sampah laut, laju pertambahan sampah laut (marine debris) dengan 3 kriteria yaitu adanya muara sungai, aktifitas masyarakat dan tumpukan sampah. Sampah laut (marine debris) di Pantai Kualo Kota Bengkulu terdapat 2 jenis yaitu sampah organik dan sampah anorganik, sampah organik didominasi oleh kayu, dan sampah anorganik didominasi oleh plastik.ANALYSIS OF MARINE DEBRISH IN KUALO BEACH, BENGKULU CITY. Marine debris is material from the remnants of the product left or thrown into the sea by human either intentionally or unintentionally dumped of in the marine environment. The research of marine debris in Kualo Beach Bengkulu city was expected to provide information and data to the students, researcher, goverment and general public as initial scientific information about types, weight, and the rate of increasing in marine debris that were scattered. The data collection was carried out by using purposive sampling technique through observation to get composition of marine debris, the rate of increasing in marine debris had three criterias namely existence of a river mouth, community activities, and pile of debris. Marine debris in Kualo Beach Bengkulu City had two types namely organic and inorganic debris. Organic debris was dominated by wood while inorganic debris was dominated by plastic.

scholarly journals Surfing and dining on the “plastisphere”: Microbial life on plastic marine debris

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grazia Marina Quero ◽  
Gian Marco Luna
Keyword(s):  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Marine Debris ◽  
Microbial Consortia ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Marine Microbes ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Marine Fauna ◽  
Degrading Bacteria ◽  
Plastic Degradation

Plastic marine debris represents a global threat for the marine environment, having serious consequences for the ocean, the wildlife and the human health. While the plastics distribution, fate, persistence and toxicity mechanisms for the marine fauna have been more studied in the last decade, small efforts have been devoted to identify and characterize marine microbes that colonize plastic and microplastic debris in the ocean, and their potential to degrade plastics. Here we review the knowledge on the microbial biodiversity and degradation mechanisms of marine plastic debris, and present data, based on metagenomic analyses, on the distribution patterns of genes potentially involved in microbially-mediated plastic degradation in coastal locations across the global ocean. Most studies on plastic-colonizing microbes have focused on seawater rather than sediment, with most studies underlining striking differences in composition between assemblages attached to plastic particles and those in the surrounding environment. The diversity of microbes attached to plastic is high, and the core epiplastic microbial assemblages include often hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, as well as prokaryotic and eukaryotic phototrophs. Several marine microbes have shown to be able to degrade or deteriorate plastic in the laboratory, or to grow on plastic as the only source of carbon, while indirect evidences suggest that microbially-mediated degradation of recalcitrant plastics also occur in the ocean, though at very low rates. Metagenomic analyses show that plastic degradation-related genes are present in microbial assemblages in several coastal ocean sites, with relative abundance related to the magnitude of plastic pollution at each site. Further research is required to study microbial plastic-degraders in the marine ecosystem, to decipher and exploit the potential of microbial consortia to degrade or mineralize plastic compounds, and to better understand the fate and residence times of plastic waste in the ocean.

Ingestion of plastic marine debris by longnose lancetfish (Alepisaurus ferox) in the North Pacific Ocean

2013 ◽  
Vol 69 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 97-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley A. Jantz ◽  
Carey L. Morishige ◽  
Gregory L. Bruland ◽  
Christopher A. Lepczyk
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
North Pacific Ocean ◽  
Marine Debris ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Pacific

Evaluating The Ocean Cleanup, a Marine Debris Removal Project in the North Pacific Gyre, Using SWOT Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan Morrison ◽  
Alexandra Shipman ◽  
Shradha Shrestha ◽  
Evan Squier ◽  
Kaitlin Stack Whitney
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Ocean Currents ◽  
Marine Debris ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
The North ◽  
Debris Removal ◽  
North Pacific Gyre ◽  
The North Pacific

Plastic pollution in oceans, also known as marine debris, is a growing problem at local and global scales. Anthropogenic marine debris poses a serious threat to many marine species, both through physical harm such as ingestion or entanglement and by carrying toxins and pathogens. This debris accumulates in oceanic gyres, concentrating these effects in some specific areas. In addition, marine debris may have devastating impacts on tourism and fishing-based economies, especially where ocean currents direct this debris. Recently, a nonprofit organization called The Ocean Cleanup proposed the first large-scale in situ marine debris removal project. The Ocean Cleanup is a project attempting to use large, floating, semi-fixed screens to harness ocean currents and accumulate debris, where it can be efficiently collected and disposed of or recycled. The project currently is working on implementing itself in the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” in the North Pacific Gyre. We examine this project case, as it is the first organization attempting to clean up marine debris at this scale. Understanding the potential efficacy and limitations of The Ocean Cleanup Project as a case study can give critical insights into how other projects could be created in the future to address marine plastic pollution worldwide. Using SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis to assess a marine debris cleanup can inform both a nuanced evaluation of the specific case as well as provide a means to explore marine debris as a complex, global environmental problem.

scholarly journals North Pacific Baleen Whales as a Potential Source of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the Diet of the Indigenous Peoples of the Eastern Arctic Coasts

Toxics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel Chukmasov ◽  
Andrey Aksenov ◽  
Tatiana Sorokina ◽  
Yulia Varakina ◽  
Nikita Sobolev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
North Pacific Ocean ◽  
Organic Pollutant ◽  
Baleen Whales ◽  
Bowhead Whales ◽  
The North ◽  
Edible Tissues ◽  
High Concentrations

Among marine mammals, gray and bowhead whales contain large amounts of fat and thereby constitute crucial dietary components of the traditional diet of indigenous peoples of the Eastern Arctic. Despite the high nutritional and cultural value of gray and bowhead whales, there is a risk of persistent organic pollutant (POP) intake by indigenous individuals who use marine mammals as their main source of fat. POPs are lipophilic pollutants and are known to accumulate and magnify along the marine food web. Consumption of foods contaminated by POPs can perturb the endocrine, reproductive, and immune systems, and can potentially cause cancer. Moderate to relatively high concentrations of POPs have indeed been reported in the edible tissues of gray and bowhead whales consumed by indigenous peoples of the North Pacific Ocean. Even though their consumption is potentially harmful, there is no regular monitoring of eco-toxicants in the foods consumed by the indigenous peoples of the Eastern Arctic. In our view, the routine analyses of consumable parts of whales and of comparable nutritional items need to be included in the Russian Arctic Biomonitoring Programme.

Persepsi Dan Partisipasi Pengunjung Terhadap Permasalahan Sampah Laut (Marine Debris) Di Pantai Temberan Kabupaten Bangka Dan Pantai Pasir Padi Pangkalpinang

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-20
Author(s):  
Siska Oktavia ◽  
Wahyu Adi ◽  
Aditya Pamungkas
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Random Sampling ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Marine Debris ◽  
Reliability Test ◽  
Validity Test ◽  
Data Collection Technique ◽  
Mixed Approach ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

This study aims to analyze the value of the density of marine debris, perceptions and participation in Temberan beach and Pasir Padi beach, as well as determine the relationship of perception and participation to the density of marine debris. This research is a type of research that is descriptive with a mixed approach (quantitative and qualitative). The study was conducted at Temberan beach in Bangka Regency and Pasir Pasir Beach Pangkal Pinang in October 2019. The sampling technique used was random sampling and purposive sampling. The data collection technique was carried out using observation technique namely sampling and questionnaire. The validity test uses the Pearson Product Moment formula and the reliability test uses the Cronbach’s Alpha formula. The results showed that the density of debris in the Temberan beach was more dominant at 10.92 pieces/meter2, while at Temberan beach 3 pieces/meter2. The results of perception and participation are different, with the Temberan beach occupying more complex waste problems. The relationship of perception and participation in the density of marine debris have a relationship that affects each other.

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