Beach litter composition, distribution patterns and annual budgets on Novaya Zemlya archipelago, Russian Arctic.

Beached macrolitter (>2,5 cm) abundance and composition in the Russian (Eastern) part of the Barents Sea and the adjacent part of the Kara Sea was assessed for 2021-2023. Average densities of beach litter on the coasts are 675 items/100 m and 37 kg/100 m (0.27 items/m2 and 0.015 kg/m2). Annual li...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine Pollution Bulletin
Main Authors: Ershova, Alexandra, Vorotnichenko, Ekaterina, Gordeeva, Svetlana, Ruzhnikova, Nina, Trofimova, Anna
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Elsevier Science 2024
Subjects:
Accumulation
Beach litter budgets
Eastern Barents Sea
Marine litter
Novaya Zemlya archipelago
Arctic
Barents Sea
Kara Sea
Novaya Zemlya
Sea ice
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116517
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38850754
Description
Summary:Beached macrolitter (>2,5 cm) abundance and composition in the Russian (Eastern) part of the Barents Sea and the adjacent part of the Kara Sea was assessed for 2021-2023. Average densities of beach litter on the coasts are 675 items/100 m and 37 kg/100 m (0.27 items/m2 and 0.015 kg/m2). Annual litter budgets for Cape Zhelaniya beaches are 0.49 items/m2 per year and 0.023 kg/m2 per year. The northernmost tip of Novaya Zemlya is shown to be a beach litter accumulation hot-spot on Novaya Zemlya archipelago, where litter is brought by surface currents and trapped by sea ice margins. Up to 80 % of beached marine macrolitter is made of plastics, originating from vessels. A certain accumulation strip of a beach was identified (14 m - 27.5 m distance from the waterline), and significance of the beach backshore was shown in litter accumulation. Beach litter accounting methodologies on the Arctic beaches are discussed.

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