Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
III INTERNATIONAL COVID-19 AND CURRENT ISSUES CONGRESS, İstanbul, Türkiye, 19 - 21 Haziran 2021, cilt.1, ss.138-146
As in the marine environment of the rest of the world, the Black Sea is under the threat of marine litter. This
amount is expected to rise tremendously as the world are currently facing COVID-19 pandemic which has
directly rise the demand of single-use plastic for hygiene purposes. Solid wastes/marine litter is specifically
produced by humans and uncontrollably thrown into the environment. This petroleum-derived plastics is
transported to the seas and oceans and accumulates to remain intact for hundreds or thousands of years. Marine
litter causes pollution both physically and biochemically. The accumulation of anthropogenic litter on the sea
surfaces, beaches and seafloor has become a significant threat to the marine environment, representing a
hazard, not only for marine and terrestrial animals. The Southeastern Black Sea coast is a basin where many
rivers emptied, with a very dense settlement and human population. Land-based garbage transported from the
region to the Black Sea is mostly carried to the sea from rivers and coasts. This study was carried out with
purpose to monitor the distribution and the contribution of pandemic to marine litter accumulation especially
in Sürmene creek and Sürmene – Of coasts in Trabzon, Turkey. The detection and sampling study was carried
out during the COVID-19 pandemic especially during Fall 2020 and Spring 2021. In the study, the type and
amount of solid waste/marine litter were determined from eleven coastal stations and six creek stations with
an area varied from 25 m2 to 100 m2, which were determined according to the physical conditions such as
beaches, embankments, creek mouth, port-pier on the coasts of Sürmene and Of. Marine litter has been
examined in terms of its type (plastic, rubber, metal, glass, textile, paper, medical and sanitary waste).
According to the results of the studies, it has been observed that approximately more than 80% of the total
marine litter consists of plastic litter, and the amount of total medical waste and especially face masks increased
during the pandemic, especially during Fall 2020 and Spring 2021. During this period, from eleven coasts and
six creek stations; a total of 154 masks for protection from COVID-19 were collected, 54 in the Fall period of
2020 and 65 in the Spring of 2021. It has been determined that the face mask, which was not categorized as
common marine litter in previous years, has an important place in the marine litter during the pandemic. An
average of six waste masks were detected in every 100 m2 area in Sürmene coasts. In addition, a significant
increase was detected in wastes for personal health purposes (wet wipes and alcohol-based cologne etc.). In
the light of the data obtained, it was determined that during the pandemic, personal prevention equipment
(PPE) elements and products, especially face masks, created a new and large pollutant load for the marine
environment. When wastes such as masks and wet wipes produced from petroleum-derived microfiber material
are broken down in the sea, these pollutants will continue to damage the ecosystem as microplastics by
breaking down into millions of microfiber particles. To reduce marine litter and pollution, the safe disposal of
masks and other health products for the prevention of pandemics such as Covid-19 and other health products
should be strictly controlled and their disposal to natural receiving environments should be prevented.
Otherwise, the Black Sea and other seas will exposes to a new and serious threat to the marine environment.