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Basurko OC, Ruiz I, Rubio A, Beldarrain B, Kukul D, Cózar A, Galli M, Destang T, Larreta J. The coastal waters of the south-east Bay of Biscay a dead-end for neustonic plastics. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2022; 181:113881. [PMID: 35835053 PMCID: PMC9361389 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Numerical models point to the south-east Bay of Biscay as a convergence area for floating particles, including plastics. The few existing studies on plastic abundance in the area mainly focus on open waters and yet information on the coastal area is limited. To fill this gap, neustonic samples were taken along the coastal waters of the south-east Bay of Biscay (2017-2020) to define the spatial distribution of plastic abundances and composition. Results show an average plastic abundance of 739,395 ± 2,625,271 items/km2 (998 ± 4338 g/km2). French waters were more affected, with five times higher plastic abundances than Spanish coasts. Microplastics represented 93 % of the total abundance of plastic items (28 % in weight), mesoplastics 7 % (26 %) and macroplastics 1 % (46 %). This study demonstrates that this area is a hotspot for plastic with levels in coastal waters similar to those in the Mediterranean Sea or other litter aggregation areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oihane C Basurko
- AZTI, Marine Research, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Herrera Kaia, Portualdea z/g, 20110 Pasaia, Spain.
| | - Irene Ruiz
- AZTI, Marine Research, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Herrera Kaia, Portualdea z/g, 20110 Pasaia, Spain
| | - Anna Rubio
- AZTI, Marine Research, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Herrera Kaia, Portualdea z/g, 20110 Pasaia, Spain
| | - Beatriz Beldarrain
- AZTI, Marine Research, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Herrera Kaia, Portualdea z/g, 20110 Pasaia, Spain
| | - Deniz Kukul
- AZTI, Marine Research, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Herrera Kaia, Portualdea z/g, 20110 Pasaia, Spain
| | - Andrés Cózar
- Departamento de Biología, University of Cadiz and European University of the Seas (SEA-EU), Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR), Puerto Real, Spain
| | - Matteo Galli
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Théo Destang
- AZTI, Marine Research, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Herrera Kaia, Portualdea z/g, 20110 Pasaia, Spain
| | - Joana Larreta
- AZTI, Marine Research, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Herrera Kaia, Portualdea z/g, 20110 Pasaia, Spain
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