Around 3760 tons of plastic on the surface of the Mediterranean

It’s just a scratch on the surface – that of the Mediterranean. And here alone there are 3760 tons of plastic floating on the water, has shown a new study.

Countless tons of plastic waste pollute the oceans – but how many exactly is very difficult to determine. A team of researchers has now set out to explore the Mediterranean in order to use new calculations to create facts on the basis of which the garbage can be combated.

Shopping bags, water bottles, styrofoam, microparticles – according to a recent study, around 3760 tons of plastic drift on the surface of the Mediterranean alone. It is a “shocking crowd”, write scientists from the Greek Center for Marine Research (HCMR) about their results presented in the specialist journal “Frontiers in Marine Science” .

Shocking especially because, apart from the floating plastic, a large part of the material sinks to the seabed. According to the team led by Kostas Tsiaras from the HCMR, the Mediterranean Sea is a hotspot for plastic pollution because many stretches of coast are densely populated.

Added to this are factors such as tourism, fishing, shipping and, last but not least, geography – the water exchange between the inland sea and the Atlantic is comparatively low.

Using a new calculation model, the scientists have determined that around 17,600 tons of plastic end up in the Mediterranean every year . Of these, 3760 tons float on the surface, around 2800 tons sink to the seabed, the rest of them wash up on the beaches.

250,000 tons worldwide

According to the researchers, swim around the world According to estimates, more than 250,000 tonnes of plastic waste on the oceans. “Simulations of the distribution of plastic in the sea are currently characterized by a high degree of uncertainty,” explained Tsiaras. This is mainly due to the complexity of the processes.

While the plastic bag floats on the surface for a long time, other plastic parts sink quickly; some are ingested by marine organisms or break down into small pieces. In addition, there are wind, waves and currents that drive the plastic over long distances.

The study by the scientists relates such factors with a. As a result, the experts have identified regions in which a particularly large amount of plastic ends up in the sea. Your new calculation model could help to check the benefits of measures to contain pollution and to develop and implement countermeasures in a more targeted manner, says Tsiaras.

SDA