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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Artículo científico |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
Marine pollution bulletin
2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40976043/ |
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Table of Contents:
- Seafloor marine litter density and distribution in the Jordanian Gulf of Aqaba, northern Red Sea. Arabeyyat, Zeinab Alsoqi, Farah Soleiman, Aiman Environmental Monitoring Indian Ocean Jordan Plastics Ecosystem Anthropogenic marine litter, particularly plastics, has become a pervasive pollutant in marine ecosystems, posing risks to biodiversity and ecosystem health. In this study, we analyzed HD videos collected along eight transects during OceanX's deep-sea research mission in Aqaba, 2022, surveying approximately 4 km of seabed in the Jordanian coastline of the Gulf of Aqaba to quantify the density of seafloor anthropogenic marine litter. The surveyed depth varied between 200 and 850 m, and litter was observed at all depths in the eight selected sites. The litters were classified into eight different categories according to their material type. The litter density varied between 4975 and 79,840 items/km (mean = 27,267 ± 28,272 items/km), with plastics being the most abundant category (44.7 %). The highest density of litter (79,840 items/km) was found in locations closer to the public beach, and the spatial distribution proved to be related to both depth and distance from the coastline factors, rather than individually. The results of this study provide the first baseline data on deep seafloor marine litter in the northern Red Sea, the Jordanian Gulf of Aqaba. The highest concentrations of marine litter were observed near coastal areas, emphasizing the big influence of human activities on litter distribution. Thus, highlighting the necessity for continued monitoring and targeted strategies to reduce marine litter and protect the Red Sea's unique ecosystem.