Plastic Pollution

Plastic debris has been found in almost every marine habitat. The sea receives 80% of plastics via rivers and coastlines, 20% from the sea. Plastics of Lower Density (LD) than seawater are expected to be transported as suspended-load. All plastics with a Higher Density (HD) than seawater are expected to be transported as bedload.

Although microplastics are not visible to the human eye, they still have negative effects on the ecosystem.

The mouths of the river act as an important source of marine pollution by plastics, since they are able to transport the waste far offshore thanks to their high flow rate and strong currents.

Plastic debris, more precisely the mesoplastic, washed on the beaches degrade in microplastics or smaller items, that are free to move and spread offshore, while a wide range of microparticles mix into beach sand.

Image: Courtesy of our Training Partner