GRID-Arendal, P.O. Box 183, N-4802 Arendal, Norway.
GRID-Arendal, P.O. Box 183, N-4802 Arendal, Norway.
Sci Total Environ. 2021 May 15;769:145222. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145222. Epub 2021 Jan 18.
Marine litter is a global problem which poses an increasing threat to ecosystem services, human health, safety and sustainable livelihoods. In order to better plan plastic pollution monitoring and clean-up activities, and to develop policies and programmes to deter and mitigate plastic pollution, information is urgently needed on the different types of coastal ecosystem that are impacted by land-sourced plastic inputs, especially those located in proximity to river mouths where plastic waste is discharged into the ocean. We overlayed the most current existing information on the input of plastic to the sea from land-based sources with maps of coastal environments and ecosystems. We found an inverse relationship exists between coastal geomorphic type, plastic trapping efficiency and the mass of plastic received. River-dominated coasts comprise only 0.87% of the global coast and yet they receive 52% of plastic pollution delivered by fluvial systems. Tide-dominated coasts receive 29.9% of river-borne plastic pollution and this is also where mangrove and salt marsh habitats are most common. Wave-dominated coasts receive 11.6% of river-borne plastic pollution and this is where seagrass habitat is most common. Finally, rocky shores comprise 72.5% of the global coast, containing fjords and coral reefs, while only receiving 6.4% of river-borne plastic pollution. Mangroves are the most proximal to river-borne plastic pollution point sources of the four habitat types studied here; 54.0% of mangrove habitat is within 20 km of a river that discharges more than 1 t/yr of plastic pollution into the ocean. For seagrass, salt marsh and coral reefs the figures are 24.1%, 22.7% and 16.5%, respectively. The findings allow us to better understand the environmental fate of plastic pollution, to advance numerical models and to guide managers and decision-makers on the most appropriate responses and actions needed to monitor and reduce plastic pollution.
海洋垃圾是一个全球性问题，它对生态系统服务、人类健康、安全和可持续生计构成的威胁日益增加。为了更好地规划塑料污染监测和清理活动，并制定遏制和减轻塑料污染的政策和方案，我们迫切需要了解受陆源塑料输入影响的不同类型沿海生态系统的信息，特别是那些靠近河口的生态系统，因为塑料废物会被排放到海洋中。我们将关于陆地输入海洋的塑料的最新信息与沿海环境和生态系统地图叠加。我们发现，沿海地貌类型、塑料捕获效率和接收的塑料质量之间存在反比关系。河流主导型海岸仅占全球海岸的 0.87%，但它们接收了 52%由河流系统输送的塑料污染。潮汐主导型海岸接收了 29.9%的河流输送的塑料污染，也是红树林和盐沼栖息地最常见的地方。波浪主导型海岸接收了 11.6%的河流输送的塑料污染，也是海草栖息地最常见的地方。最后，岩石海岸占全球海岸的 72.5%，包含峡湾和珊瑚礁，而只接收了 6.4%的河流输送的塑料污染。红树林是四种研究栖息地类型中最接近河流输送塑料污染的点源的栖息地类型；54.0%的红树林栖息地距离每年排放超过 1 公吨塑料污染入海的河流不到 20 公里。对于海草、盐沼和珊瑚礁，这一比例分别为 24.1%、22.7%和 16.5%。这些发现使我们能够更好地了解塑料污染的环境归宿，推进数值模型，并为管理者和决策者提供指导，以采取最适当的措施来监测和减少塑料污染。
