A group of researchers has developed a model for tracking the paths of plastic garbage from land sources in the Mediterranean Sea. It is estimated that more than 3.7 thousand tons of plastic floats in the Mediterranean Sea. This is reported in the article published in the log of Frontiers in Marine Science.
Mediterranean Sea is considered a hot point of plastic pollution. It is believed that this is due to the densely populated coastline, fishing, shipping, tourism and limited outflow of surface waters in the Atlantic Ocean. At the same time, the Mediterranean Sea is rich in biodiversity, which makes it a zone of ecological disaster. Plastic waste is found inside the animal bodies, and also enter the human body with food.
Scientists conducted a plastic waste circulation modeling, covering the period from 2010 to 2017, tracking plastic from land sources such as rivers and coastal cities. This allowed researchers to identify potential patterns of accumulation of micro and macroplasty in the surface layer, water thicker, seabed and on the beaches.
It turned out that the total annual load of plastic entering the Mediterranean Sea is approximately 17.6 thousand tons, of which 3760 tons are currently floating in the Mediterranean. 84 percent fall on the beaches, and the remaining 16 – in the thickness of the water or on the seabed.