Litter in submarine canyons off the west coast of Portugal

Mordecai, Gideon; Tyler, Paul A.; Masson, Douglas G.; Huvenne, Veerle A.I. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7135-6360. 2011 Litter in submarine canyons off the west coast of Portugal. Deep Sea Research Part II Topical Studies in Oceanography, 58 (23-24). 2489-2496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2011.08.009

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Abstract/Summary

Marine litter is of global concern and is present in all the world’s oceans, including deep benthic habitats where the extent of the problem is still largely unknown. Litter abundance and composition were investigated using video footage and still images from 16 Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) dives in Lisbon, Setúbal, Cascais and Nazaré Canyons located west of Portugal. Litter was most abundant at sites closest to the coastline and population centres, suggesting the majority of the litter was land sourced. Plastic was the dominant type of debris, followed by fishing gear. Standardised mean abundance was 1100 litter items km−2, but was as high as 6600 litter items km−2 in canyons close to Lisbon. Although all anthropogenic material may be harmful to biota, debris was also used as a habitat by some macro-invertebrates. Litter composition and abundance observed in the canyons of the Portuguese margin were comparable to those seen in other deep sea areas around the world. Accumulation of litter in the deep sea is a consequence of human activities both on land and at sea. This needs to be taken into account in future policy decisions regarding marine pollution.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2011.08.009
Programmes:	NOC Programmes > Marine Geoscience
ISSN:	09670645
Additional Keywords:	Microplastics, Plastics, Debris, Canyons; Deep Sea; Litter; Nazaré; Lisbon; Setúbal; Cascais
Date made live:	27 Oct 2011 15:02 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/301443

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2011.08.009

Programmes:

NOC Programmes > Marine Geoscience

ISSN:

09670645

Additional Keywords:

Microplastics, Plastics, Debris, Canyons; Deep Sea; Litter; Nazaré; Lisbon; Setúbal; Cascais

Date made live:

27 Oct 2011 15:02 +0 (UTC)