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Main Authors: Grelaud, Michaël, Ziveri, Patrizia
Format: Dataset Open Access
Language:en
Published: PANGAEA 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.923731
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author Grelaud, Michaël
Ziveri, Patrizia
author_facet Grelaud, Michaël
Ziveri, Patrizia
collection Datos científicos de ciencias marinas y ambientales
contents The Mediterranean Sea and its coastal systems are threatened by intense anthropogenic pressures including rapid accumulation of marine litter by diverse human activities. The region, which is the world's leading touristic destination, has to face a seasonal increase of waste generation due to the seasonal influx of visitors. The beaches, extremely crowded during the summer, are particularly vulnerable since they are proven to be concentrated accumulation zones and one of the main gateways of litter to enter the marine system. We found that the accumulation rates of marine litter on Mediterranean island beaches follow a seasonal pattern, increasing up to 4.7 times during the high season, representing a daily load of 40.6 10⁶ ± 11.5 10⁶ items/day extrapolated to all the islands of the region. We developed an accumulation index to assess the dynamics of marine litter and support efficient mitigation strategies by local authorities. To limit marine litter production attributable to recreational activities, a series of pilot actions implemented during the high touristic season, demonstrated a substantial reduction (up to 52.5%). The implementation towards an efficient and sustainable tourism business model is urgently required.
format Dataset Open Access
id pangaea_https___doi_org_10_1594_PANGAEA_923731
institution PANGAEA
language en
publishDate 2020
publisher PANGAEA
record_format pangaea
spellingShingle Seasonal marine litter abundances and accumulation rates on 24 beaches of 8 Mediterranean islands (2017-2019)
Grelaud, Michaël
Ziveri, Patrizia
Beach; BLUEISLAND; BLUEISLANDS; Effect of seasonal variation of waste generated on Mediterranean islands as an effect of tourism; INTERREG; Invest. of new marine biol. resources in deep waters of Ionian and Aegean Seas; marine litter; Mediterranean islands; Microplastics
The Mediterranean Sea and its coastal systems are threatened by intense anthropogenic pressures including rapid accumulation of marine litter by diverse human activities. The region, which is the world's leading touristic destination, has to face a seasonal increase of waste generation due to the seasonal influx of visitors. The beaches, extremely crowded during the summer, are particularly vulnerable since they are proven to be concentrated accumulation zones and one of the main gateways of litter to enter the marine system. We found that the accumulation rates of marine litter on Mediterranean island beaches follow a seasonal pattern, increasing up to 4.7 times during the high season, representing a daily load of 40.6 10⁶ ± 11.5 10⁶ items/day extrapolated to all the islands of the region. We developed an accumulation index to assess the dynamics of marine litter and support efficient mitigation strategies by local authorities. To limit marine litter production attributable to recreational activities, a series of pilot actions implemented during the high touristic season, demonstrated a substantial reduction (up to 52.5%). The implementation towards an efficient and sustainable tourism business model is urgently required.
title Seasonal marine litter abundances and accumulation rates on 24 beaches of 8 Mediterranean islands (2017-2019)
topic Beach; BLUEISLAND; BLUEISLANDS; Effect of seasonal variation of waste generated on Mediterranean islands as an effect of tourism; INTERREG; Invest. of new marine biol. resources in deep waters of Ionian and Aegean Seas; marine litter; Mediterranean islands; Microplastics
url https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.923731