Opportunistically collected data from aerial surveys reveal spatio-temporal distribution patterns of marine debris in German waters

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Abstract

Marine debris is known for its ubiquitousness and harmful effects on marine life. This study is the first analysis to provide information on the distribution of floating marine debris in German waters using aerial survey data collected between 2002 and 2016. During regular harbour porpoise monitoring flights, 191,167 km were covered and 26,512 floating debris items recorded (average encounter rate 0.1387 items/km). Debris was encountered more often in the North Sea than in the Baltic Sea (0.16 items/km; 0.08 items/km). The average encounter rate was higher in offshore waters than in coastal areas. Overlaps of marine debris distribution with ‘Special Areas of Conservation’ are a particular reason for concern. Moreover, the spring months (March–May) were identified to be the time of the year with the highest average encounter rates for marine debris. Fishing-related debris was shown to contribute up to 25% of the total number of all observed items. This study shows that opportunistically collected data on marine debris from aerial surveys are valuable for identifying distribution patterns of floating debris without additional survey effort and costs. These data can be used as baseline information to inform management schemes such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Bianca Unger:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9631-0545

Bianca.Unger@tiho-hannover.de

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Environ Sci Pollut Res Int

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Environ Sci Pollut Res Int

Title: Environmental Science and Pollution Research International

Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg (Berlin/Heidelberg )

ISSN (Print): 0944-1344

ISSN (Electronic): 1614-7499

Publication date (Electronic): 7 September 2020

Publication date PMC-release: 7 September 2020

Publication date (Print): 2021

Volume: 28

Issue: 3

Pages: 2893-2903

Affiliations

[1 ]GRID grid.412970.9, ISNI 0000 0001 0126 6191, Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, , University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, ; Werftstraße 6, 25761 Büsum, Germany

[2 ]GRID grid.9026.d, ISNI 0000 0001 2287 2617, Center of Natural History (CeNak), , University of Hamburg, ; Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany

[3 ]GRID grid.6612.3, ISNI 0000 0004 1937 0642, Department of Environmental Science, Man-Society-Environment, , University of Basel, ; Vesalgasse 1, 4051 Basel, Switzerland

Author notes

Responsible Editor: Philippe Garrigues

Author information

Bianca Unger http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9631-0545

Article

Publisher ID: 10610

DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-10610-9

PMC ID: 7788032

PubMed ID: 32895793

SO-VID: ad466575-9cfa-40d8-97cc-6405f84a6fab

License:

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