Surfrider Foundation, Kaua'i Chapter, United States of America.
Published: June 2024
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Community-based marine debris removal efforts on the Hawaiian Islands of Kaua'i and Hawai'i, spanning 2013-2022, provided large datasets and documented remarkable variations in annual amounts of debris, mainly from abandoned, lost and derelict fishing gear. To test the hypothesis that the influx of marine debris on Hawaiian shores is determined by the proximity of the North Pacific garbage patch, whose pattern changes under the control of large-scale ocean dynamics, we compared these observational data with the output of an oceanographic drift model. The high correlations between the total mass of debris collected and the model, ranging between r = 0.81 and r = 0.84, validate the attribution of the strong interannual signal to significant migrations of the garbage patch reproduced in the model experiments. Synchronous variations in marine debris fluxes on the two islands, separated by >500 km, confirm the large scale of the interannual changes in the North Pacific marine debris system.
Pyrosomes represent a group of marine holozooplankton. They do not exist as individual entities but as intricate colonies comprising numerous zooids, well-known for their bioluminescent properties. Pyrosomes inhabit most oceanic waters spanning tropical to temperate regions.
Centro de Investigación Esquel de Montaña y Estepa Patagónica (CIEMEP; CONICET-UNPSJB), Roca 780, Esquel, Chubut CA 9200, Argentina; Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Esquel, Chubut CA 9200, Argentina. Electronic address:
Plastic pollution has garnered much more attention in marine environments, while scientific research on freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems has been relatively overlooked. Numerous studies worldwide have highlighted the presence of macroplastics (>2.5 cm) in mountain riverine environments, revealing that even these seemingly pristine ecosystems are not invulnerable to plastic contamination.
Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Infrastructure Planning, Universitas Pertamina, Jalan Sinabung II, Terusan Simprug, Jakarta 12220, Indonesia; Center for Environmental Solution (CVISION), Universitas Pertamina, Jalan Sinabung II, Terusan Simprug, Jakarta, 12220, Indonesia; Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Ecology and Sustainability, College of Environmental Studies and Oceanography, National Dong Hwa University, Hualien 97401, Taiwan, ROC. Electronic address:
This research explores the valuation of integrated disaster management in the coastal regions of Southern Java, Indonesia, a locale increasingly threatened by the impacts of global warming, which exacerbates marine disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Employing a choice experiment methodology, the study assesses the willingness to pay among local households for various strategies designed to enhance earthquake preparedness. Three distinct scenarios are examined, each reflecting varying levels of integration and sophistication: (1) Educational empowerment and localized alert integration, which emphasizes community education and rapid, self-directed evacuation practices tailored to the immediate onset of tsunamis following seismic events.
Plastics are ubiquitous in the environment, causing pollution recognized as a marker of the Anthropocene era. All environments are affected, including coastal and river ecosystems, where studies have shown that plastic waste contamination is proportional to the level of urbanization. This study, to our knowledge, is the first in France to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of litter across the Land-Sea continuum, using debris classifications based on OSPAR (Oslo-Paris Convention 1992) and EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility).
Islands are particularly vulnerable to storms and hurricanes, which can cause severe environmental, economic, and social impacts, including the accumulation of waste in marine ecosystems. In November 2020, Hurricane Iota struck the islands of Providencia and Santa Catalina in the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve, Colombia. This study assesses the distribution, composition, and sources of marine litter after the hurricane, focusing on variations observed across coastal ecosystems such as beaches, mangroves, and coral reefs.
