Marine birds and plastic debris in Canada: a national synthesis and a way forward

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer F. Provencher ◽  
Alexander L. Bond ◽  
Mark L. Mallory
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Marine Debris ◽  
National Strategy ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Plastic Debris ◽  
Marine Birds ◽  
Multiple Regions ◽  
United Nations Environmental Program ◽  
Subsequent Effect ◽  
The 1960S

Marine plastic ingestion by seabirds was first documented in the 1960s, but over 50 years later our understanding about the prevalence, intensity, and subsequent effect of plastic pollution in the oceans is still developing. In Canada, systematic assessments using recognized standard protocols began only in the mid-2000s. With marine plastic pollution identified by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) as one of the most critical challenges for the environment, a greater understanding of how plastics affect marine birds in Canada, along with a national strategy, is timely and necessary. To better understand which and how many marine birds are affected by marine debris, we reviewed reports of plastic ingestion and nest incorporation in Canada. Of the 91 marine bird species found in Canadian waters, detailed plastic ingestion data from multiple years and locations are available for only six species. Another 33 species have incidental reports, and we lack any data on dozens more. Future efforts should focus on characterizing the risk of plastic ingestion among understudied species and on continued monitoring of species that are known indicators of plastic pollution internationally and found in multiple regions of Canada to facilitate comparisons at the national and international levels.

Marine plastic pollution: using community science to address a global problem

2015 ◽  
Vol 66 (8) ◽  
pp. 665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul. E. Duckett ◽  
Vincenzo Repaci
Keyword(s):  
Local Population ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Marine Debris ◽  
Storm Water ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Plastic Debris ◽  
Local Schools ◽  
Community Science

It was once thought oceans were so vast they could not be affected by humans, but unfortunately rapid globalisation now threatens marine biodiversity. The negative effects of marine debris were recognised in the 1970s, and more recently globally acknowledged in scientific literature. We revisited the Greater Sydney region in New South Wales Australia, to research whether plastic waste on coastal beaches has reduced in recent years. This was achieved by designing a community science project in collaboration with local schools and volunteers. We discovered that plastic debris differed between beaches and strata, but was similar to Australian beaches that were sampled over a decade ago. The high correlations we found between plastic debris and both the frequency of storm-water drains and local population sizes suggested that storm-water drains may be responsible for delivering plastic waste to coastal ecosystems, and the amount of plastic debris was proportional to the size of the surrounding population. Involving local communities has the potential to rapidly raise awareness about key conservation issues to large and broad demographic audiences. Ultimately, this may inspire public and political change.

scholarly journals Seagrasses provide a novel ecosystem service by trapping marine plastics

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Sanchez-Vidal ◽  
Miquel Canals ◽  
William P. de Haan ◽  
Javier Romero ◽  
Marta Veny
Keyword(s):  
Plant Material ◽  
Coastal Ocean ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Novel Ecosystem ◽  
Plastic Debris ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
Lignocellulosic Fibers ◽  
Natural Aggregates ◽  
Negatively Buoyant

AbstractThere is strong evidence that the seafloor constitutes a final sink for plastics from land sources. There is also evidence that part of the plastics lying on the shallow seafloor are washed up back to the shoreline. However, little is known on the natural trapping processes leading to such landwards return. Here we investigate microplastics and larger plastic debris within beached seagrass remains including balls (aegagropilae) made of natural aggregates of vegetal fibers intertwined by seawater motion. We found up to 1470 plastic items per kg of plant material, which were mainly composed of negatively buoyant polymer filaments and fibers. Our findings show that seagrass meadows promote plastic debris trapping and aggregation with natural lignocellulosic fibers, which are then ejected and escape the coastal ocean. Our results show how seagrasses, one of the key ecosystems on Earth in terms of provision of goods and services, also counteract marine plastic pollution. In view of our findings, the regression of seagrass meadows in some marine regions acquires a new dimension.

scholarly journals Initial Analysis of Plastic Debris Accumulation in the Estuary of Wonorejo River, Surabaya, Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Vol 148 ◽  
pp. 07001
Author(s):  
Setyo Budi Kurniawan ◽  
Muhammad Fauzul Imron
Keyword(s):  
River Estuary ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Sampling Point ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Plastic Debris ◽  
Debris Accumulation ◽  
Plastic Bags ◽  
Sampling Points ◽  
Advance Research ◽  
One Way Anova

The purpose of this research was to investigate the accumulation of plastic debris in the Wonorejo River Estuary, Surabaya, Indonesia. Visible plastic debris were collected from three (3) sampling points along the intertidal area of Wonorejo River Estuary. The correlation between sampling points (SPs) and the amount of the collected plastic debris (CPD) was analysed using one-way ANOVA. Result of one-way ANOVA showed that the sampling point was significantly affect the amount of the collected plastic debris (p<0.05). A further analysis using Tukey’s Significance Honest Test indicating a significantly higher CPD on SP2 compared to the SP1 and SP3 (p<0.05). The amount of CPD were 126.07±12.00 g dry weight/m2 from SP1, 375.97±16.72 g dry weight/m2 from SP2, and 291.13±36.28 g dry weight/m2 from SP3. The highest percentage of collected debris item was plastic bags (up to 57.90%), followed by bottle caps (up to 16.65%). The most identified plastic types were Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) (up to 73.13%), followed by Polypropylene (PP) (up to 17.22%). Understanding the accumulation of plastic debris in estuary is a fundamental requirement to conduct an advance research related to the marine plastic pollution and to determine further actions to solve this problem.

scholarly journals Nine Years After the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Effects on Marine Bird Populations in Prince William Sound, Alaska

The Condor ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 102 (4) ◽  
pp. 723-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
David B. Irons ◽  
Steven J. Kendall ◽  
Wallace P. Erickson ◽  
Lyman L. McDonald ◽  
Brian K. Lance
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Prince William Sound ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Exxon Valdez ◽  
Marine Bird ◽  
Marine Birds ◽  
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill ◽  
Positive Effects

Abstract We compared post Exxon Valdez oil-spill densities of marine birds in Prince William Sound from 1989–1991, 1993, 1996, and 1998 to pre-spill densities from 1984–1985. Post-spill densities of several species of marine birds were lower than expected in the oiled area of Prince William Sound when compared to densities in the unoiled area. These negative effects continued through 1998 for five taxa: cormorants, goldeneyes, mergansers, Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba), and murres. Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani) and Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) exhibited negative effects in 1990 and 1991. Loons showed a weak negative effect in 1993. Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) showed relative decreases in 1989, 1996, and 1998 which may have been caused by shifts in foraging distribution rather than declines in populations. Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens) showed positive effects in most post-spill years. Murrelets and terns showed relative increases in 1993, 1996, and 1998. Generally, taxa that dive for their food were negatively affected, whereas taxa that feed at the surface were not. Effects for some taxa were dependent upon the spatial scale at which they were analyzed. Movements of birds and the mosaic pattern of oiling reduced our ability to detect oil-spill effects, therefore our results may be conservative. Several marine bird species were negatively affected at the population level and have not recovered to pre-spill levels nine years after the oil spill. The reason for lack of recovery may be related to persistent oil remaining in the environment and reduced forage fish abundance.

scholarly journals Threat of plastic pollution to seabirds is global, pervasive, and increasing

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (38) ◽  
pp. 11899-11904 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Wilcox ◽  
Erik Van Sebille ◽  
Britta Denise Hardesty
Keyword(s):  
Risk Model ◽  
Ingestion Rate ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Marine Debris ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Seabird Species ◽  
Spatial Risk

Plastic pollution in the ocean is a global concern; concentrations reach 580,000 pieces per km2 and production is increasing exponentially. Although a large number of empirical studies provide emerging evidence of impacts to wildlife, there has been little systematic assessment of risk. We performed a spatial risk analysis using predicted debris distributions and ranges for 186 seabird species to model debris exposure. We adjusted the model using published data on plastic ingestion by seabirds. Eighty of 135 (59%) species with studies reported in the literature between 1962 and 2012 had ingested plastic, and, within those studies, on average 29% of individuals had plastic in their gut. Standardizing the data for time and species, we estimate the ingestion rate would reach 90% of individuals if these studies were conducted today. Using these results from the literature, we tuned our risk model and were able to capture 71% of the variation in plastic ingestion based on a model including exposure, time, study method, and body size. We used this tuned model to predict risk across seabird species at the global scale. The highest area of expected impact occurs at the Southern Ocean boundary in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, which contrasts with previous work identifying this area as having low anthropogenic pressures and concentrations of marine debris. We predict that plastics ingestion is increasing in seabirds, that it will reach 99% of all species by 2050, and that effective waste management can reduce this threat.

scholarly journals Marine birds and plastic pollution

1987 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 295-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
MY Azzarello ◽  
ES Van Vleet
Keyword(s):  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Marine Birds

scholarly journals Occurrence of microplastics in pellets from the common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) along the Ticino River, North Italy

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (33) ◽  
pp. 41731-41739
Author(s):  
Anna Winkler ◽  
Alessandro Nessi ◽  
Diego Antonioli ◽  
Michele Laus ◽  
Nadia Santo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Webs ◽  
Visual Inspection ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Spectroscopic Techniques ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Marine Bird ◽  
First Report ◽  
The Common

Abstract Previous research has reported avian plastic ingestion in marine bird species. Yet, while research attention on plastic pollution is shifting from marine to freshwater ecosystems, very few information on plastic ingestion is available for freshwater birds. Here, we examined the presence of microplastic in regurgitated pellets of the common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) collected along the Ticino River (North Italy). In total, 133 kingfisher’s pellets were examined between March and October 2019 from 54 transects along the river. Plastic elements were detected and identified by visual inspection followed by μ-FTIR and SEM-EDS. Overall, we found 12 (micro)plastics from at least three different polymers in 7.5% of the pellets. This study provides the first report of plastic uptake of this bird species. It highlights the importance of spectroscopic techniques in plastic monitoring studies in order to avoid misidentification of items found. Documenting the presence of plastic ingestion by top carnivores such as fish-eating birds is necessary to understand the pervasiveness and impact of (micro)plastic pollution in food webs of freshwater ecosystems.

Multi-Scale Numerical Analysis of the Field Efficiency of an Ocean Plastic Cleanup Array

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Sainte-Rose ◽  
Laurent Lebreton ◽  
Joao de Lima Rego ◽  
Frank Kleissen ◽  
Julia Reisser
Keyword(s):  
Global Economy ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Target Area ◽  
Japanese Island ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Plastic Debris ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Field Efficiency ◽  
The Impact

The impact of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems and global economy has been drawing public concern since the end of the 20th century. To mitigate this issue, The Ocean Cleanup (TOC) Foundation is developing technologies to extract, prevent, and intercept plastic debris from coastal and oceanic environments. The core technology being optimized is the use of floating booms placed perpendicular to the main ocean plastic flow so it can concentrate plastic debris to a point where it can be extracted, shipped and processed in a cost-effective manner. In order to optimize the system’s field efficiency (i.e. mass of ocean plastic captured per length of floating boom), a multi-scale approach has been elaborated, where temporal and spatial scales span over several orders of magnitude. Here we introduce this general multi-scale method alongside its assumptions and multi-scale models. We then describe two application examples, the first corresponding to our coastal pilot in the Japanese island of Tsushima and the second related to our main cleanup target area: the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, situated between Hawaii and the US west coast.

scholarly journals Are ocean conditions and plastic debris resulting in a ‘double whammy’ for marine birds?

2018 ◽  
Vol 133 ◽  
pp. 684-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark C. Drever ◽  
Jennifer F. Provencher ◽  
Patrick D. O'Hara ◽  
Laurie Wilson ◽  
Victoria Bowes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plastic Debris ◽  
Marine Birds ◽  
Ocean Conditions
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document