1. Floating marine macro litter: Density reference values and monitoring protocol settings from coast to offshore. Results from the MEDSEALITTER project
- Author
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Roul Marine, Revuelta Ohiana, Crosti Roberto, Vighi Morgana, Borrell Asuncion, Di Vito Stefania, Orasi Arianna, Arcangeli Antonella, David Léa, Miaud Claude, Atzori Fabrizio, Di-Méglio Nathalie, Frau Francesca, Darmon Gaëlle, Campana Ilaria, Aguilar Alex, Carosso Lara, Garcia-Garin Odei, and Gambaiani Delphine
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Protocol (science) ,Waste Products ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,010501 environmental sciences ,Aquatic Science ,Oceanography ,01 natural sciences ,Pollution ,Marine Strategy Framework Directive ,Mediterranean sea ,Open sea ,Reference Values ,Reference values ,Litter ,Mediterranean Sea ,Environmental science ,Submarine pipeline ,Physical geography ,Macro ,Plastics ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Environmental Monitoring - Abstract
Monitoring Floating Marine Macro Litter (FMML) is a global priority, stressed within international programs, and regulated for the European Seas by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Although some well-defined common protocols exist for the assessment of beach litter and ingested litter, methodologies for FMML monitoring still vary, leading to some inconsistent results and hampering the global assessment of this threat. Within the MEDSEALITTER project (2016–2019), field experiments were implemented to define optimal monitoring parameters for FMML visual monitoring at different spatial scales, by assessing the influence of platform speed, strip width, observers experience, weather conditions, and litter size on its detectability. Along with the results of these experiments, we present the FMML density ranges detected across the over 20,000 km surveyed, highlighting a decreasing gradient from river mouths to coastal areas and the open sea, and providing a valuable contribution to the assessment of FMML in the Mediterranean Sea.
- Published
- 2020