Litter trends at three stations of the HAUSGARTEN observatory

• Main Authors: Parga Martínez, Karla B, Tekman, Mine Banu, Bergmann, Melanie
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2020
• Subjects: Area; ARK-XVIII/1; ARK-XX/1; ARK-XXII/1c; ARK-XXIX/2.2; ARK-XXVI/2; ARK-XXVII/2; ARK-XXVIII/2; ARK-XXX/1.2; ARK-XXXI/2; Calculated; deep seafloor; Event label; Fauna interaction with litter; Hausgarten; HAUSGARTEN 2013; HG_IV; Image number/name; Interaction; megafauna; Interaction with litter; Actinia indeterminata; Actiniaria; Bathycrinus carpenterii; Bathyphellia margaritacea; Birsteiniamysis inermis; Bythocaris sp.; Caulophacus arcticus; Caulophacus debris; cf. Pachastrellidae; Cladorhiza gelida; Gersemia fruticosa; Holothuridae; Hormathiidae; Verum striolatum; Maria S. Merian; marine litter; Arctic; Arctic Ocean
• Online Access: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.912471; https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.912471

The deep sea is considered a major sink for debris even in regions as secluded as the Arctic Ocean. Here, we assess the variability of litter over a latitudinal gradient at the HAUSGARTEN observatory by adding imagery from the southernmost station S3 to previously published data from the northernmost station N3 and the central station HG-IV. The analysis includes footage of the seafloor from 2002 to 2017. Photographic surveys were analyzed to determine litter density, material composition, size and interactions with epibenthic fauna. Litter density clearly increased over time ranging between 813 ± 525 (SEM) and 6,717 ± 2,044 (SEM) items km-². The dominant material was plastic and small-sized items accounted for 63% of the litter in the observatory. N3 experienced the strongest increase in litter dominated by dark pieces of glass (41%). Interactions between litter and epibenthic megafauna were frequently observed (45% of items) in the form of entanglement with sponges or colonization by sea anemones.