Environmental Research Letters (Jan 2021)
The quest for seafloor macrolitter: a critical review of background knowledge, current methods and future prospects
- Miquel Canals,
- Christopher K Pham,
- Melanie Bergmann,
- Lars Gutow,
- Georg Hanke,
- Erik van Sebille,
- Michela Angiolillo,
- Lene Buhl-Mortensen,
- Alessando Cau,
- Christos Ioakeimidis,
- Ulrike Kammann,
- Lonny Lundsten,
- George Papatheodorou,
- Autun Purser,
- Anna Sanchez-Vidal,
- Marcus Schulz,
- Matteo Vinci,
- Sanae Chiba,
- François Galgani,
- Daniel Langenkämper,
- Tiia Möller,
- Tim W Nattkemper,
- Marta Ruiz,
- Sanna Suikkanen,
- Lucy Woodall,
- Elias Fakiris,
- Maria Eugenia Molina Jack,
- Alessandra Giorgetti
Affiliations
- Miquel Canals
- ORCiD
- GRC Geociències Marines, Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l’Oceà, Universitat de Barcelona , Martí i Franquès s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Christopher K Pham
- Okeanos/MAR—Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Oceanografia e Pescas, Universidade dos Açores , Rua Prof. Doutor Frederico Machado, 9901-862 Horta, Faial, Ilhas dos Açores, Portugal
- Melanie Bergmann
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung , Am Handelshafen 12, D-27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
- Lars Gutow
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung , Am Handelshafen 12, D-27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
- Georg Hanke
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Via Enrico Fermi 2749 , I-21027 Ispra, Italy
- Erik van Sebille
- Utrecht University, Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research , Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Michela Angiolillo
- ORCiD
- Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), Area per la tutela della biodiversità, degli habitat e speciemarine protette (BIO-HBT) , Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Roma, Italy; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZN) , Via Po 25, 00198 Rome, Italy
- Lene Buhl-Mortensen
- Institute of Marine Research , P.O. Box 1870 Nordnes, N-5817 Bergen, Norway
- Alessando Cau
- Università di Cagliari , Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’ambiente, Via Tommaso Fiorelli 1, 09126 Cagliari, Italy
- Christos Ioakeimidis
- UN Environment/Mediterranean Action Plan Coordinating Unit, Barcelona Convention Secretariat , Vas. Konstantinou 48, Athens 11635, Greece
- Ulrike Kammann
- Thünen Institute of Fisheries Ecology , Herwigstr. 31, 27572 Bremerhaven, Germany
- Lonny Lundsten
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute , 7700 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039, United States of America
- George Papatheodorou
- Department of Geology, University of Patras , 26504 Patras, Greece
- Autun Purser
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung , Am Handelshafen 12, D-27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
- Anna Sanchez-Vidal
- ORCiD
- GRC Geociències Marines, Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l’Oceà, Universitat de Barcelona , Martí i Franquès s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Marcus Schulz
- Universität Osnabrück, Fachbereich Mathematik/Informatik , Albrechtstraße 28a, 49076 Osnabrück, Germany
- Matteo Vinci
- Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS) , Borgo Grotta Gigante 42/c, 34010 Sgonico, Trieste, Italy
- Sanae Chiba
- Research Institute for Global Change (RIGC), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) , 2-15 Natsushimacho, Yokosuka 237-0061, Japan
- François Galgani
- IFREMER, Laboratoire LER/PAC, immeuble Agostini , ZI Furiani, 20600 Bastia, la Corse, France
- Daniel Langenkämper
- Biodata Mining Group, Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University , PO Box 100131, D-33501 Bielefeld, Germany
- Tiia Möller
- University of Tartu, Estonian Marine Institute , Mäealuse 14, Tallinn 12618, Estonia
- Tim W Nattkemper
- Biodata Mining Group, Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University , PO Box 100131, D-33501 Bielefeld, Germany
- Marta Ruiz
- Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission , Katajanokanlaituri 6 B, FI-00160 Helsinki, Finland
- Sanna Suikkanen
- Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Marine Research Centre , Latokartanonkaari 11, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
- Lucy Woodall
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford , Oxford OX1 3SZ, United Kingdom
- Elias Fakiris
- Department of Geology, University of Patras , 26504 Patras, Greece
- Maria Eugenia Molina Jack
- Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS) , Borgo Grotta Gigante 42/c, 34010 Sgonico, Trieste, Italy
- Alessandra Giorgetti
- Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS) , Borgo Grotta Gigante 42/c, 34010 Sgonico, Trieste, Italy
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abc6d4
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 16,
no. 2
p. 023001
Abstract
The seafloor covers some 70% of the Earth’s surface and has been recognised as a major sink for marine litter. Still, litter on the seafloor is the least investigated fraction of marine litter, which is not surprising as most of it lies in the deep sea, i.e. the least explored ecosystem. Although marine litter is considered a major threat for the oceans, monitoring frameworks are still being set up. This paper reviews current knowledge and methods, identifies existing needs, and points to future developments that are required to address the estimation of seafloor macrolitter. It provides background knowledge and conveys the views and thoughts of scientific experts on seafloor marine litter offering a review of monitoring and ocean modelling techniques. Knowledge gaps that need to be tackled, data needs for modelling, and data comparability and harmonisation are also discussed. In addition, it shows how research on seafloor macrolitter can inform international protection and conservation frameworks to prioritise efforts and measures against marine litter and its deleterious impacts.
Keywords
