articlePLoS ONEApr 1, 2015GOLD OA

Plastic Accumulation in the Mediterranean Sea

ACAndrés CózarMSMarina Sanz‐MartínEMElisa MartíJIJ. Ignacio González-GordilloBÚBárbara Úbeda

Universidad de Cádiz · Universitat de Barcelona · +2 more institutions

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Abstract

Concentrations of floating plastic were measured throughout the Mediterranean Sea to assess whether this basin can be regarded as a great accumulation region of plastic debris. We found that the average density of plastic (1 item per 4 m2), as well as its frequency of occurrence (100% of the sites sampled), are comparable to the accumulation zones described for the five subtropical ocean gyres. Plastic debris in the Mediterranean surface waters was dominated by millimeter-sized fragments, but showed a higher proportion of large plastic objects than that present in oceanic gyres, reflecting the closer connection with pollution sources. The accumulation of floating plastic in the Mediterranean Sea (between 1,000…

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Topics & keywords

Topics
Keywords
  • Ocean gyre
  • Mediterranean climate
  • Plastic pollution
  • Mediterranean sea
  • Oceanography
  • Debris
  • Mediterranean Basin
  • Environmental science
UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Life below water
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