Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments
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 op...
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ftarchimer:oai:archimer.ifremer.fr:6952 2023-05-15T18:25:52+02:00 Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments Barnes, David K. A. Galgani, Francois Thompson, Richard C. Barlaz, Morton 2009-07 application/pdf https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/publication-6952.pdf https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0205 https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6952/ eng eng The Royal Society https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/publication-6952.pdf doi:10.1098/rstb.2008.0205 https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6952/ The Royal Society 2009 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess restricted use Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (0962-8436) (The Royal Society), 2009-07 , Vol. 364 , N. 1526 , P. 1985-1998 Microplastic Landfill Plastic production Marine debris Persistent organic pollutants text Publication info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2009 ftarchimer https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0205 2021-09-23T20:17:39Z 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. Article in Journal/Newspaper Southern Ocean Archimer (Archive Institutionnelle de l'Ifremer - Institut français de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer) Southern Ocean Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 364 1526 1985 1998 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Archimer (Archive Institutionnelle de l'Ifremer - Institut français de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer) |
op_collection_id |
ftarchimer |
language |
English |
topic |
Microplastic Landfill Plastic production Marine debris Persistent organic pollutants |
spellingShingle |
Microplastic Landfill Plastic production Marine debris Persistent organic pollutants Barnes, David K. A. Galgani, Francois Thompson, Richard C. Barlaz, Morton Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments |
topic_facet |
Microplastic Landfill Plastic production Marine debris Persistent organic pollutants |
description |
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. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Barnes, David K. A. Galgani, Francois Thompson, Richard C. Barlaz, Morton |
author_facet |
Barnes, David K. A. Galgani, Francois Thompson, Richard C. Barlaz, Morton |
author_sort |
Barnes, David K. A. |
title |
Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments |
title_short |
Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments |
title_full |
Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments |
title_fullStr |
Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments |
title_full_unstemmed |
Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments |
title_sort |
accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/publication-6952.pdf https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0205 https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6952/ |
geographic |
Southern Ocean |
geographic_facet |
Southern Ocean |
genre |
Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Southern Ocean |
op_source |
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (0962-8436) (The Royal Society), 2009-07 , Vol. 364 , N. 1526 , P. 1985-1998 |
op_relation |
https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/publication-6952.pdf doi:10.1098/rstb.2008.0205 https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6952/ |
op_rights |
The Royal Society 2009 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess restricted use |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0205 |
container_title |
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
container_volume |
364 |
container_issue |
1526 |
container_start_page |
1985 |
op_container_end_page |
1998 |
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1766207567278637056 |