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Floating macrolitter leaked from Europe into the ocean

Author

Listed:
  • Daniel González-Fernández

    (University of Cádiz and European University of the Seas)

  • Andrés Cózar

    (University of Cádiz and European University of the Seas)

  • Georg Hanke

    (European Commission)

  • Josué Viejo

    (University of Cádiz and European University of the Seas)

  • Carmen Morales-Caselles

    (University of Cádiz and European University of the Seas)

  • Rigers Bakiu

    (Agricultural University of Tirana)

  • Damià Barceló

    (University of Girona
    IDAEA-CSIC)

  • Filipa Bessa

    (University of Coimbra)

  • Antoine Bruge

    (Surfrider Foundation Europe)

  • María Cabrera

    (Paisaje Limpio Association)

  • Javier Castro-Jiménez

    (Aix Marseille University, University of Toulon, CNRS, IRD
    IFREMER)

  • Mel Constant

    (Université de Perpignan Via Domitia UMR CNRS 5110)

  • Roberto Crosti

    (Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale)

  • Yuri Galletti

    (CNR)

  • Ahmet E. Kideys

    (Middle East Technical University)

  • Nino Machitadze

    (Tbilisi State University)

  • Joana Pereira de Brito

    (Águas de Gaia EM)

  • Maria Pogojeva

    (State Oceanographic Institute)

  • Nuno Ratola

    (University of Porto)

  • Júlia Rigueira

    (OIKOS – Associação de Defesa do Ambiente e do Património da Região de Leiria)

  • Elisa Rojo-Nieto

    (University of Cadiz
    Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research – UFZ)

  • Oksana Savenko

    (Ukrainian Scientific Center of Ecology of the Sea
    National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ukraine)

  • Rosanna I. Schöneich-Argent

    (Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg
    Friends of the Earth Germany)

  • Grzegorz Siedlewicz

    (Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences)

  • Giuseppe Suaria

    (National Research Council)

  • Myrto Tourgeli

    (University of Aegean)

Abstract

Riverine systems act as converging pathways for discarded litter within drainage basins, becoming key elements in gauging the transfer of mismanaged waste into the ocean. However, riverine litter data are scarce and biased towards microplastics, generally lacking information about larger items. Based on the first ever database of riverine floating macrolitter across Europe, we have estimated that between 307 and 925 million litter items are released annually from Europe into the ocean. The plastic fraction represented 82% of the observed litter, mainly fragments and single-use items (that is, bottles, packaging and bags). Our modelled estimates show that a major portion of the total litter loading is routed through small-sized drainage basins (

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel González-Fernández & Andrés Cózar & Georg Hanke & Josué Viejo & Carmen Morales-Caselles & Rigers Bakiu & Damià Barceló & Filipa Bessa & Antoine Bruge & María Cabrera & Javier Castro-Jiménez & M, 2021. "Floating macrolitter leaked from Europe into the ocean," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 4(6), pages 474-483, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natsus:v:4:y:2021:i:6:d:10.1038_s41893-021-00722-6
    DOI: 10.1038/s41893-021-00722-6
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    Cited by:

    1. Aghajani Delavar, Mojtaba & Wang, Junye, 2023. "Illumination and fluid flow effects on bioplastic production and biohydrogen generation in microbioreactors with different geometries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).

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