Journal
PLOS ONE
Volume 9, Issue 4, Pages -Publisher
PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095839
Keywords
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Categories
Funding
- European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) under the HERMIONE project [226354]
- Condor project
- Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway through the EEA Financial Mechanism [PT0040/2008]
- Corazon (COMPETE/QREN) [FCT/PTDC/MAR/72169/2006]
- CoralFISH [FP7 ENV/2007/1/21314 4]
- EC [287600]
- ESF project BIOFUN [CTM2007-28739-E]
- Spanish projects PROMETEO [CTM2007-66316-C02/MAR]
- DOS MARES [CTM2010-21810-C03-01]
- la Caixa grant Oasis del Mar
- Generalitat de Catalunya grant [2009 SGR 1305]
- UK's Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) as part of the Ecosystems of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at the Sub-Polar Front and Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone (ECOMAR) project
- Marine Environmental Mapping Programme (MAREMAP)
- ERC (Starting Grant project CODEMAP) [258482]
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)
- Lenfest Ocean Program (PEW Foundation)
- Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform through Strategic Environmental Assessment 7
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee
- offshore Special Areas for Conservation programme
- BELSPO
- RBINS-OD Nature (Belgian Federal Government) for R/V Belgica shiptime
- FCT-IP/MEC
- IMAR-University of the Azores (RDU) [531]
- Thematic Area E, through the Strategic Project (COMPETE, QREN) [PEst-OE/EEI/LA0009/2011-2014]
- Government of Azores FRCT
- Portuguese Science Foundation (COMPETE/QREN) [SFRH/BD/66404/2009]
- Statoil as part of the CORAMM project
- DFG Leibniz programme
- Regional Directorate for Science, Technology and Communications (DRCTC) of the Regional Government of the Azores [M3.1.2/F/062/2011]
- CSIC-JAE-postdocotral grant
- European Social Fund
- IFREMER
- Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia [SFRH/BD/66404/2009] Funding Source: FCT
- Natural Environment Research Council [NE/C512996/1, NE/C51300X/1, noc010009, NE/C513018/1, noc010011, bgs05015, NE/C51297X/1, NE/C512961/1, NE/C512988/1] Funding Source: researchfish
- NERC [NE/C51300X/1, NE/C512988/1, noc010009, bgs05015, NE/C512961/1, noc010011, NE/C512996/1, NE/C513018/1, NE/C51297X/1] Funding Source: UKRI
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Anthropogenic litter is present in all marine habitats, from beaches to the most remote points in the oceans. On the seafloor, marine litter, particularly plastic, can accumulate in high densities with deleterious consequences for its inhabitants. Yet, because of the high cost involved with sampling the seafloor, no large-scale assessment of distribution patterns was available to date. Here, we present data on litter distribution and density collected during 588 video and trawl surveys across 32 sites in European waters. We found litter to be present in the deepest areas and at locations as remote from land as the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone across the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The highest litter density occurs in submarine canyons, whilst the lowest density can be found on continental shelves and on ocean ridges. Plastic was the most prevalent litter item found on the seafloor. Litter from fishing activities (derelict fishing lines and nets) was particularly common on seamounts, banks, mounds and ocean ridges. Our results highlight the extent of the problem and the need for action to prevent increasing accumulation of litter in marine environments.
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