Distribution and abundance of small plastic debris on beaches in the SE Pacific (Chile): A study supported by a citizen science project
Distribution and abundance of small plastic debris on beaches in the SE Pacific (Chile): A study supported by a citizen science project
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DOI：
10.1016/j.marenvres.2013.02.015
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发表时间：
2013-06-01
影响因子：
3.3
通讯作者：
Thiel, Martin
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hidalgo-Ruz, Valeria;Thiel, Martin
大大小小的塑料碎片的堆积是全世界海洋和海岸线的一个问题。小型塑料碎片的丰度和类型仅在东南太平洋的一些孤立的海滩上被报道，但这些数据不足以评估该地区的情况。公民科学项目“全国小塑料碎片取样”得到了智利各地学童的支持，他们记录了智利海滩上小塑料碎片的分布和数量。来自智利大陆和复活节岛的39所学校和近1000名学生参加了此次活动。为了验证学生获得的数据，所有样本都在实验室重新计算。本研究的结果表明，学生能够按照指示并生成可靠的数据。智利大陆海岸的平均丰度为每立方米27个小塑料碎片，但复活节岛的样本丰度异常高（每立方米800个）。大陆海岸上大量的小塑料碎片可能与沿海城市中心及其经济活动有关。复活节岛上发现的高丰度主要可以解释为南太平洋副热带环流的表面洋流运输塑料碎片，导致岛上海滩上积聚了小塑料碎片。这是关于智利海滩上小塑料碎片广泛分布和大量的第一份报告，强调需要将塑料碎片研究扩展到问题的生态方面，并改善废物管理。(C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd.版权所有。
The accumulation of large and small plastic debris is a problem throughout the world's oceans and coastlines. Abundances and types of small plastic debris have only been reported for some isolated beaches in the SE Pacific, but these data are insufficient to evaluate the situation in this region. The citizen science project "National Sampling of Small Plastic Debris" was supported by schoolchildren from all over Chile who documented the distribution and abundance of small plastic debris on Chilean beaches. Thirty-nine schools and nearly 1000 students from continental Chile and Easter Island participated in the activity. To validate the data obtained by the students, all samples were recounted in the laboratory. The results of the present study showed that the students were able to follow the instructions and generate reliable data. The average abundance obtained was 27 small plastic pieces per m(2) for the continental coast of Chile, but the samples from Easter Island had extraordinarily higher abundances (>800 items per m(2)). The abundance of small plastic debris on the continental coast could be associated with coastal urban centers and their economic activities. The high abundance found on Easter Island can be explained mainly by the transport of plastic debris via the surface currents in the South Pacific Subtropical Gyre, resulting in the accumulation of small plastic debris on the beaches of the island. This first report of the widespread distribution and abundance of small plastic debris on Chilean beaches underscores the need to extend plastic debris research to ecological aspects of the problem and to improve waste management. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.