Abstract
Terrestrial sources of marine debris on beaches are substantial, increasing, and are primarily a result of mismanaged waste on land. The scale, source, and composition of beached marine debris in New Zealand was determined by surveying 41 beaches, with triplicate belt transects, across the North and South Islands. Results demonstrated a significant spatial variance, with the South Island showing a significantly higher mean density than the more populated North Island by count as well as by weight. The majority of all anthropogenic marine debris detected was plastic and arrived through the water. Explanations for regional variances in debris presence are difficult to ascertain with certainty but could not be explained by population density and proximity. These findings contribute to the understudied field of marine debris research in New Zealand and the Southern Hemisphere and provide a starting point for evidence-based mitigation. Recommended changes to future monitoring programs are made. This first national baseline study of marine debris in New Zealand serves as a reference for follow-up studies, including research at other locations.
Highlights
About 80% of anthropogenic marine debris (AMD) is derived from land-based sources (Derraik, 2002; Sheavly and Register, 2007); a large proportion of which results from mismanaged terrestrial waste (Barnes et al, 2009; Jambeck et al, 2015; Lau et al, 2020)
The mean AMD density detected across 41 beaches on both islands of New Zealand (NZ) ranged from zero to 0.82 items m-2 per beach, with an overall mean of 0.16 ± 0.02 items m-2
The highest AMD density was detected at Karitane Beach with 0.82 ± 0.02 items m-2, more than five times the national mean
Summary
About 80% of anthropogenic marine debris (AMD) is derived from land-based sources (Derraik, 2002; Sheavly and Register, 2007); a large proportion of which results from mismanaged terrestrial waste (Barnes et al, 2009; Jambeck et al, 2015; Lau et al, 2020). Most coastal AMD studies occur on sandy beaches (Browne et al, 2015; Serra-Gonçalves et al, 2019) due to easy access and generally require no specialized equipment (GESAMP, 2019). In addition to obtaining scientific data, beach surveys are performed by volunteers (citizen scientists) to support scientists, raise public awareness, and as education and community outreach programs (Ribic et al, 2010; HidalgoRuz and Thiel, 2015; Murray et al, 2018). There are many different methods to obtain data and/or measure the spatial and temporal distribution of debris (Velander and Mocogni, 1999; Browne et al, 2015; GESAMP, 2019), and many variations exist
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