Department of Biology, University Marine Research Institute INMAR, University of Cádiz and European University of the Seas, Puerto Real, Spain.
EC Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy.
Environ Pollut. 2022 Sep 15;309:119816. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119816. Epub 2022 Jul 21.
The Black Sea is a semi-enclosed basin subject to major anthropogenic pressures, including marine litter and plastic pollution. Due to numerous large rivers draining into the basin and a population settled along the coast, the region could accumulate significant amounts of floating litter over time. Until now, only limited field data were available, and litter quantities and distribution remained unknown. In this study, floating marine macro litter (FMML) was assessed at the regional Black Sea scale for the first time, showing relatively high litter densities across the basin that reached a weighted mean of 81.5 items/km. Monitoring data revealed an accumulation of floating items offshore in the eastern part of the basin, resembling on a small scale a 'garbage patch', where litter items were trapped, showing elevated densities in comparison to their surrounding areas. Most of these items were made of plastic materials (ca. 96%) and included large numbers of plastic and polystyrene fragments of small size ranges (2.5-10 cm). Harmonised field data collection through consistent and regular monitoring programmes across the region is essential to establish baselines and thresholds for large scale assessment at international level.
黑海是一个半封闭的盆地，受到包括海洋垃圾和塑料污染在内的主要人为压力的影响。由于有许多大河流入该盆地，而且沿海地区有大量人口居住，该地区可能会随着时间的推移积累大量漂浮垃圾。到目前为止，只有有限的实地数据可用，而垃圾的数量和分布情况仍然未知。在这项研究中，首次在黑海地区范围内评估了漂浮海洋大型垃圾（FMML），结果显示整个盆地的垃圾密度相对较高，加权平均值达到了 81.5 件/公里。监测数据显示，在盆地东部的近海地区有漂浮物的堆积，在小范围内类似于“垃圾带”，垃圾被困在那里，与周围地区相比，其密度更高。这些垃圾大多由塑料材料制成（约 96%），包括大量小尺寸范围（2.5-10 厘米）的塑料和聚苯乙烯碎片。通过在该地区进行一致和定期的监测计划，协调一致地收集实地数据对于在国际层面进行大规模评估建立基准和阈值至关重要。
