Impacts of plastic waste on the marine environment
The mismanagement of plastic waste has led to contamination of the entire marine environment, from shores to the deepest ocean sediments (e.g. Ryan et al. 2016; Woodall et al. 2014). Almost all marine species can be entangled in or ingest plastics, depending on their size, and ingestion can potentially expose them to hazardous additives contained in the plastic or to attached pathogens (Prinz and Korez 2020). Plastic waste can also be a host for a range of species, leading to rafting or species being transported long distances by floating plastics. This potentially increases species’ geographical ranges and spreads invasive species and disease (Zettler et al. 2013; Keswani et al. 2016; Lamb et al. 2018; Rodrigues et al. 2019).
Year: 2021
From collection: Drowning in Plastics: Marine Litter and Plastic Waste Vital Graphics
Cartographer: GRID-Arendal