Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments

被引:3727
|
作者
Barnes, David K. A. [1 ]
Galgani, Francois [2 ]
Thompson, Richard C. [3 ]
Barlaz, Morton [4 ]
机构
[1] NERC, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge CB3 OET, England
[2] IFREMER, Ctr Mediterranee, Prov Azur Corse LER PAC, F-83507 La Seyne Sur Mer, France
[3] Univ Plymouth, Inst Marine, Marine Biol & Ecol Res Ctr, Plymouth PL4 8AA, Devon, England
[4] N Carolina State Univ, Dept Civil Construct & Environm Engn, Raleigh, NC 27695 USA
关键词
persistent organic pollutants; marine debris; plastic production; landfill; microplastic; SOUTHERN NORTH-SEA; MARINE DEBRIS; CONTINENTAL-SHELF; ISLAND SHORES; RESIN PELLETS; LITTER; TRANSPORT; ABUNDANCE; FLOOR; CHEMICALS;
D O I
10.1098/rstb.2008.0205
中图分类号
Q [生物科学];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
One of the most ubiquitous and long-lasting recent changes to the surface of our planet is the accumulation and fragmentation of plastics. Within just a few decades since mass production of plastic products commenced in the 1950s, plastic debris has accumulated in terrestrial environments, in the open ocean, on shorelines of even the most remote islands and in the deep sea. Annual clean-up operations, costing millions of pounds sterling, are now organized in many countries and on every continent. Here we document global plastics production and the accumulation of plastic waste. While plastics typically constitute approximately 10 per cent of discarded waste, they represent a much greater proportion of the debris accumulating on shorelines. Mega- and macro-plastics have accumulated in the highest densities in the Northern Hemisphere, adjacent to urban centres, in enclosed seas and at water convergences ( fronts). We report lower densities on remote island shores, on the continental shelf seabed and the lowest densities (but still a documented presence) in the deep sea and Southern Ocean. The longevity of plastic is estimated to be hundreds to thousands of years, but is likely to be far longer in deep sea and non-surface polar environments. Plastic debris poses considerable threat by choking and starving wildlife, distributing non-native and potentially harmful organisms, absorbing toxic chemicals and degrading to micro-plastics that may subsequently be ingested. Well-established annual surveys on coasts and at sea have shown that trends in mega- and macro-plastic accumulation rates are no longer uniformly increasing: rather stable, increasing and decreasing trends have all been reported. The average size of plastic particles in the environment seems to be decreasing, and the abundance and global distribution of micro-plastic fragments have increased over the last few decades. However, the environmental consequences of such microscopic debris are still poorly understood.
引用
收藏
页码:1985 / 1998
页数:14
相关论文
共 50 条
  • [1] Understanding the Fragmentation Pattern of Marine Plastic Debris
    ter Halle, Alexandra
    Ladirat, Lucie
    Gendre, Xavier
    Goudouneche, Dominique
    Pusineri, Claire
    Routaboul, Corinne
    Tenailleau, Christophe
    Duployer, Benjamin
    Perez, Emile
    [J]. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, 2016, 50 (11) : 5668 - 5675
  • [2] Weathering and fragmentation of plastic debris in the ocean environment
    Andrady, Anthony L.
    [J]. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN, 2022, 180
  • [3] Benthic plastic debris in marine and fresh water environments
    Corcoran, Patricia L.
    [J]. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-PROCESSES & IMPACTS, 2015, 17 (08) : 1363 - 1369
  • [4] A global inventory of small floating plastic debris
    van Sebille, Erik
    Wilcox, Chris
    Lebreton, Laurent
    Maximenko, Nikolai
    Hardesty, Britta Denise
    van Franeker, Jan A.
    Eriksen, Marcus
    Siegel, David
    Galgani, Francois
    Law, Kara Lavender
    [J]. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS, 2015, 10 (12):
  • [5] Accumulation of Plastic Debris and Associated Contaminants in Aquatic Food Webs
    Diepens, Noel J.
    Koelmans, Albert A.
    [J]. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, 2018, 52 (15) : 8510 - 8520
  • [6] The amount and accumulation rate of plastic debris on marshes and beaches on the Georgia coast
    Lee, Richard F.
    Sanders, Dorothea P.
    [J]. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN, 2015, 91 (01) : 113 - 119
  • [7] Selective accumulation of plastic debris at the breaking wave area of coastal waters
    Ho, Ngai Hei Ernest
    Not, Christelle
    [J]. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION, 2019, 245 (702-710) : 702 - 710
  • [8] Numerical Modelling of Plastic Debris Transport and Accumulation throughout Portuguese Coast
    Rainuundo, Gabriela I.
    Sousa, Magda C.
    Dias, Joao M.
    [J]. JOURNAL OF COASTAL RESEARCH, 2020, : 1252 - 1257
  • [9] Accumulation and characteristics of plastic debris along five beaches in Cape Town
    Chitaka, Takunda Y.
    von Blottnitz, Harro
    [J]. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN, 2019, 138 : 451 - 457
  • [10] Plastic debris accumulation in the seabed derived from coastal fish farming
    Kruger, Lotte
    Casado-Coy, Nuria
    Valle, Carlos
    Ramos, Marina
    Sanchez-Jerez, Pablo
    Gago, Jesus
    Carretero, Olga
    Beltran-Sanahuja, Ana
    Sanz-Lazaro, Carlos
    [J]. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION, 2020, 257