The quest for seafloor macrolitter: a critical review of background knowledge, current methods and future prospects
| Type | Article | ||||||||
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| Date | 2021-02 | ||||||||
| Language | English | ||||||||
| Author(s) | Canals Miquel1, Pham Christopher K.2, Bergmann Melanie3, Gutow Lars3, Hanke Georg4, Van Sebille Erik5, Angiolillo Michela6, 7, Buhl-Mortensen Lene8, Cau Alessando9, Ioakeimidis Christos10, Kammann Ulrike11, Lundsten Lonny12, Papatheodorou George13, Purser Autun3, Sanchez-Vidal Anna1, Schulz Marcus14, Vinci Matteo15, Chiba Sanae16, Galgani Francois 17, Langenkämper Daniel18, Möller Tiia19, Nattkemper Tim W.18, Ruiz Marta19, Suikkanen Sanna20, Woodall Lucy21, Fakiris Elias13, Molina Jack Maria Eugenia15, Giorgetti Alessandra15 |
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| Affiliation(s) | 1 : Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l'Oceà, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, SPAIN 2 : Universidade dos Açores Departamento de Oceanografia e Pescas, Horta, Ilha do Faial, PORTUGAL 3 : Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Bremen, GERMANY 4 : Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum fur Polar- und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Bremen, GERMANY 5 : European Commission Joint Research Centre Ispra Sector, Ispra, 21027, ITALY 6 : University of Utrecht Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht, Utrecht, Utrecht, NETHERLANDS 7 : BIO-HBT, Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, Roma, 00144, ITALY 8 : Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Hordaland, NORWAY 9 : Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Cagliari, Sardegna, ITALY 10 : United Nations Environment Programme Mediterranean Action Plan, Athens, Attica, GREECE 11 : Thünen Institute of Fisheries Ecology, Bremerhaven, GERMANY 12 : Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, California, UNITED STATES 13 : Department of Geology, University of Patras, Patra, Periféria Dhitikís Elládh, GREECE 14 : Dinàmica de la Terra i de l'Oceà, Universitat de Barcelona, C/ Martí Franquès s/n, Barcelona, 08028, SPAIN 15 : Universität Osnabrück, Osnabruck, Niedersachsen, GERMANY 16 : Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e Geofisica Sperimentale, Sgonico, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, ITALY 17 : Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, JAPAN 18 : Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER), Bastia, FRANCE 19 : Bielefeld University Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen, GERMANY 20 : University of Tartu, Tartu, Tartumaa, ESTONIA 21 : Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, Helsinki, FINLAND 22 : Finnish Environment Institute, Helsinki, FINLAND 23 : University of Oxford, Oxford, UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND 24 : University of Patras, Patra, Periféria Dhitikís Elládh, GREECE |
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| Source | Environmental Research Letters (1748-9326) (IOP Publishing), 2021-02 , Vol. 16 , N. 2 , P. 023001 (30p.) | ||||||||
| DOI | 10.1088/1748-9326/abc6d4 | ||||||||
| WOS© Times Cited | 45 | ||||||||
| Keyword(s) | seafloor, marine litter, trawl surveys, visual surveys, deep sea, modelling, data harmonisation | ||||||||
| Abstract | The seafloor covers some 70% of the Earth's surface and has been recognized as a major sink for marine litter. Still, litter on the seafloor is the least investigated fraction of marine litter, which is not surprising as most of it lies in the deep sea, i.e. the least explored ecosystem. Although marine litter is considered a major threat for the oceans, monitoring frameworks are still being set up. This paper reviews current knowledge and methods, identifies existing needs, and points to future developments that are required to address the estimation of seafloor macrolitter. It provides background knowledge and conveys the views and thoughts of scientific experts on seafloor marine litter offering a review of monitoring and ocean modeling techniques. Knowledge gaps that need to be tackled, data needs for modeling, and data comparability and harmonization are also discussed. In addition, it shows how research on seafloor macrolitter can inform international protection and conservation frameworks to prioritize efforts and measures against marine litter and its deleterious impacts. |
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