Man-made litter on the shores of the United Arab Emirates on the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman

Abstract

Frequency of occurrence, composition, and distribution of litter accumulating on western and eastern beaches of the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, UAE, were investigated. In this study 27000 m2 of UAE beaches were examined and 22771 items noted. An estimated 13.5×106 man-made items are stranded along 800 km of Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman shorelines. Plastic fragments constituted 27.1% of the total items encountered. A strong correlation was found between plastic fragments and plastic bottles. Fishing floats and nettings represented 16.9% of the total items examined. A highly significant correlation (r=0.89) existed between the number of polystyrene blocks used as fishing floats and ropes, and nettings washed ashore. The west coast on the Arabian Gulf exhibited a much higher level of pollution by man-made debris than the east coast on the Gulf of Oman. Potential sources are pointed out and comparisons with other regions of the world are discussed.