10.5281/zenodo.5898684
https://zenodo.org/records/5898684
oai:zenodo.org:5898684
978-3-946211-46-4
Tekman, Mine B.
Mine B.
Tekman
0000-0002-6915-0176
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung
Walther, Bruno A.
Bruno A.
Walther
0000-0002-0425-1443
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung
Peter, Corina
Corina
Peter
0000-0003-1342-2686
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung
Gutow, Lars
Lars
Gutow
0000-0002-9017-0083
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung
Bergmann, Melanie
Melanie
Bergmann
0000-0001-5212-9808
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung
Impacts of plastic pollution in the oceans on marine species, biodiversity and ecosystems
WWF Germany
2022
Plastic
Microplastic
Ocean
Marine Biology
Biodiversity
Marine litter
Marine debris
Ghostfishing
Microfibers
Polymer
Pollution
2022-02-08
eng
10.5281/zenodo.5898683
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
A new report commissioned by WWF provides the most comprehensive account to date of the extent to which plastic pollution is affecting the global ocean, the impacts it’s having on marine species and ecosystems, and how these trends are likely to develop in future. The report by researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) reveals a serious and rapidly worsening situation that demands immediate and concerted international action:
● Today almost every species group in the ocean has encountered plastic pollution, with scientists observing negative effects in almost 90% of assessed species.
● Not only has plastic pollution entered the marine food web, it is significantly affecting the productivity of some of the world’s most important marine ecosystems like coral reefs and mangroves.
● Several key global regions – including areas in the Mediterranean, the East China and Yellow Seas and Arctic sea ice – have already exceeded plastic pollution thresholds beyond which significant ecological risks can occur, and several more regions are expected to follow suit in the coming years.
● If all plastic pollution inputs stopped today, marine microplastic levels would still more than double by 2050 – and some scenarios project a 50-fold increase by 2100.