Spatial pattern and characteristics of the benthic marine litter in the southern Black Sea shelf

Erüz C., Terzi Y., Öztürk R. Ç., Karakoç F., Özşeker K., Şahin A., ...More

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN, vol.175, 2022 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 175
  • Publication Date: 2022
  • Doi Number: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113322
  • Journal Name: MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, PASCAL, Aerospace Database, Agricultural & Environmental Science Database, Aquatic Science & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), Artic & Antarctic Regions, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, Chemical Abstracts Core, Chimica, Communication Abstracts, Compendex, EMBASE, Environment Index, Geobase, MEDLINE, Metadex, Pollution Abstracts, Veterinary Science Database, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Keywords: Litter, Pollution, Seafloor, Plastic, Marine environment, Benthic habitat, MEDITERRANEAN SEA, DEBRIS, FLOOR, INGESTION, COASTAL, IMPACT
  • Karadeniz Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The abundance and characteristics of benthic marine litter in the southern Black Sea shelf were demonstrated. During the surveys, 671 litter items weighing 83.93 kg were collected from the stations. The average density by number and weight were 460.70 +/- 99.71 n/km(2) and 80.68 +/- 48.06 kg/km(2). The litter density was significantly higher at 10-20 m (646.09 +/- 165.63 n/km(2)) compared to 20-30 m (165.53 +/- 81.02 n/km(2)) and >30 m (413.87 +/- 146.59 n/km(2)) depth classes. Plastic (69.03%) was the most abundant material by number, followed by textile (20.94%) and metal (5.68%). The litter composition differed between the no-trawl zone and trawl ground. Our results indicate that more detailed research is needed to understand the interaction of various factors influencing transportation and accumulation of marine litter in the Black Sea.