Accumulation Of Marine Debris Research Articles

Estimating the Temporal Impacts of Nearshore Fisheries on Coastal Ocean-Sourced Waste Accumulation in South Korea Using Stepwise Regression

Fishing activities have been recognized as one of the primary contributors to marine environmental pollution. Studies have been conducted on the impact of fishing activities on the accumulation of marine debris, but most of these studies have been conducted at specific points in time. This study collected marine debris data over four years in the coastal area of Korea. Data on the magnitude of nearshore fishing activities during the same period were collected and analyzed. Regression models were constructed to explore the impact of nearshore fishing activities on coastal waste accumulation over time. This research aimed to understand the influence of nearshore fishing activities on the accumulation of ocean-sourced coastal waste, leading to the development of a time series regression model. The results indicated that time series models have substantially more explanatory power compared to conventional models, emphasizing the importance of temporal considerations in quantifying the relationship between fishing activities and coastal litter over time.

Impact of marine debris on coral reef ecosystem of Palk Bay, Indian Ocean

Abstract Coral reef ecosystems are highly sensitive to pollution from marine debris, especially if the regions are noted for tourism and fishing. Palk Bay on the south east coast of India is a famous tourist and fishing region, where the marine debris accumulation poses a great threat to the coastal ecosystem. In this study during 2018–2020, the marine debris distribution and their interactions with coral reefs of Palk Bay were monitored from five stations. Derelict fishing gears (DFGs), including ropes (51 ± 2%) and fishing lines (43 ± 2.5%), were the dominant debris forms recorded. Among the reef‐forming corals, Acropora sp. colonies experienced maximum physical injury and mortality from DFG entanglement. Plastic materials and anchors caused considerable physical damage and tissue loss in Porites sp, without any mortality. Manual debris removal as a potential debris management method was assessed by regularly removing the accumulated debris from the test reef locations of all five stations, whereas the control reef locations were left undisturbed. Test reef locations showed a significant increase in live coral cover and coral recruit density in 2020, against that in 2018, compared with the control locations. Continuous accumulation and interaction of marine debris with the coral colonies of control reef locations resulted in significant reduction of live coral cover and coral recruit density at the control reef locations. This study illustrates the impact of unsustainable fishing and other anthropogenic activities such as tourism and waste disposal on coral reef ecosystems like Palk Bay. The findings of this study demonstrates that manual removal of debris is an important strategy for marine debris management in coral reef ecosystem. Considering the importance of coral reefs in the livelihood of the coastal communities, it is important to tackle the marine debris issue through regular debris removal with stakeholder participation, awareness campaigns and strict legal and management measures.

Investigation of Abundance and Spatial Distribution of Marine Debris on Ghanaian Urban Coastal Beaches

Marine debris has been identified as a form of pollution for more than half a century, and it is a major concern for the general public due to its detrimental effects on the environment and human health. The accumulation of marine debris not only affects the aesthetic appeal of our oceans but also poses a significant threat to safety. The impact of marine debris on the tourism industry, especially the eco-tourism sector, is a growing concern both locally and globally. The objective of this study was to conduct a comprehensive assessment of marine debris on three beaches of Ghana along the Gulf of Guinea. It sought to survey the spatiotemporal changes in the concentration of marine debris, quantify the perceptions of locals and beach users of marine debris, examine the citizen science perspectives on marine debris and finally analyse the effects of marine debris on coastal resources. The study employed a shoreline debris survey and citizen science approach to achieve this objective. Content analysis in NVivo was deployed to analyze transcriptions from the interviews. A standing stock beach survey was used to survey debris in 100 m2 quadrants for 30 occasions each for the three studied beaches at 12-day intervals, which spanned one year. Debris was classified and quantified according to the NOAA classification scheme for marine debris. The quantitative data generated were analyzed in SPSS 23.0 to establish debris abundance and spatiotemporal differences. Results revealed that plastics are the dominant debris type, accounting for 52% of the total debris surveyed, which was confirmed by the citizen science approach. Biriwa Beach had a minor debris abundance, statistically different from Abandze and Anomabo. The paper found significant seasonal differences in the concentration and spatial distribution of all debris types except for plastics and processed lumber. Respondents acknowledged the effects of marine debris on humans and the environment. The study recommends making adequate waste management infrastructure available in the area. NGOs and the Municipal Assembly should educate residents on effective mass participation in waste management practices to curb debris accumulation.

Coastal clean-up in Southeast Asia: lessons learned, challenges, and future strategies

The significant accumulation of marine debris on beaches poses a challenge and raises serious concerns to the global environmental sustainability. It has been previously reported that Southeast Asian (SEA) is one of the global hotspots of marine debris contributor to almost 30% of marine debris pollution to the world oceans. This review discusses the challenge and provide the information of mitigation efforts associated with beach clean-up initiatives to combat the marine debris in Southeast Asia. We employ the comprehensive of qualitative data analysis from relevant literature reviews and conducting a structured study specific to the region, therefore, this research highlights the prevalence and characteristics of marine debris that addressed Coastal Cleanup Activities (CCA) in Southeast Asian. Plastic debris remains type of marine debris commonly found across the beaches. Furthermore, Coastal Clean Up (CCU) activities involving local communities have progressively gained prominence in addressing marine debris issues by utilizing educational outreach to raise awareness effectively. Participants in these initiatives include students, tourists, and high school students. The crucial gap of Coastal CCA required the consistent application of scientific methods during beach clean-ups in Southeast Asian. The importance of community involvement, the adoption of scientific methodology, regular clean-up initiatives, and the potential of marine citizen science formulation could potentially contribute in facilitating an effective approach of marine debris management and education in Southeast Asia. Given the substantial component of initiatives, the result of this study proposes the focus on marine citizen science emerges in the future as a potential avenue for educating and engaging the public awareness towards understanding and tackling marine debris accumulation in Southeast Asian beaches.

Relationship between floating marine debris accumulation and coastal fronts in the Northeast coast of the USA

Floating marine debris (FMD) is one of the world's most concerning issues due to its potential impact on biodiversity, communities, and ecosystem services. FMD transport and concentrations are driven by fronts, generated by oceanographic processes, and the accumulation of FMD has been reported in gyres, eddies, tidal fronts, salinity fronts, and coastal fronts. This study explores the relationship between fronts and FMD accumulation in the Gulf of Maine (GoM) and the surrounding coastal areas (USA). Frontal edge detection algorithms were applied to sea surface temperature (SST) imagery from the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) between 2002 and 2012. Frontal location is spatially correlated with FMD concentrations collected by the Sea Education Association. Higher concentrations of FMD are associated with frontal frequencies (FF) of 5–10 %. FMD is trapped between fronts and the coastline in accumulation zones. These results highlight the need to consider coastal FMD hotspots, given these are areas of high biodiversity value.

Index based approach for assessment of abundance of marine debris and status of marine pollution in Kandakuliya, Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka

Marine debris accumulation and contamination have become escalating yet disastrous environmental impacts in marine ecosystems at present Sri Lanka context. Thus, we conducted this study to assess the marine debris abundance and density in randomly selected sites (n = 6) of Kandakuliya beach, Negombo, Sri Lanka. Marine debris density was used to explore the extent of beach pollution from marine debris. 13 types of marine debris were found including sub types of marine debris. Higher abundance of fragment marine debris can be seen rather than whole marine debris in each site. Moreover, a significant difference of mean abundance of hard plastic was observed among 6 sites as spatial variation of hazardous marine debris. According to Clean Coast Index (CCI), site 1 was classified as the “extremely dirty”, while site 2 - site 4 were classified as “dirty”. As per the Hazardous Items Index (HII), site 1 - site 4 were grouped under the category (IV). Further according to Plastic Abundance Index (PAI) categories, site 1 was grouped as “high level of plastic contamination”, while site 2 and site 4 were grouped as “high to moderate level of plastic contamination”. Accumulation of hazardous and non-degradable waste carried away by wind and ocean current from unsustainable fishing practices, mismanagement of solid waste, destructive recreational activities have been recorded as main sources for observed marine debris on the beach. In conclusion, study showed that there exists a substantial need in incorporating marine beach and coastal management framework to preserve these ecosystems. Despites raising awareness and education, and beach cleanup initiatives, we suggest introduction of new waste management methods (especially, gears and boat waste) through innovation, strengthening legislation and regulations, corporate responsibility, and advanced research and development as further management steps must be taken to conserve the beach in Kandakuliya.

The impact of the anthropause caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on beach debris accumulation in Maui, Hawaiʻi

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent travel restrictions led to a considerable reduction in tourism and human activity on Maui, presenting a unique opportunity to study debris accumulation on local beaches during changing levels of human activities. Standardized daily debris accumulation surveys were completed at two beach sites in Maui, Hawai ‘i before (2017) as well as throughout the initial year of the pandemic (2020–2021) and allowed for the assessment of pandemic-related restrictions on marine debris accumulation trends. Throughout the pandemic, reduced beach use due to higher lockdown levels had significant impacts on debris accumulation at both sites, but only one of the two sites experienced a significant decrease (~ 90% reduction) in debris accumulation rates when compared to the same months in 2017. Daily accumulation rates across two sites increased from an average of 16 items/100 m during peak lockdown levels to 43 items/100 m when restrictions eased. The observed fluctuations in debris accumulation rates, driven by changes in tourism and travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic emphasize the importance of proactive measures to protect the natural environment, including source reduction and effective legislation for waste prevention. By addressing both local and remote sources of debris and focusing on reducing waste at its source, it is possible to mitigate the impacts of debris accumulation on coastal environments and marine life in Hawaiʻi.

ROV-based monitoring of passive ecological recovery in a deep-sea no-take fishery reserve

In the context of marine conservation, trawl fishing activity is the most important ecosystem stressor in demersal Mediterranean waters. Limited management measures in bottom trawling have caused deep-sea stocks of the iconic Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus to decrease over the last decade. This crustacean acts as an umbrella species for co-existing megafauna. Here, we used non-invasive Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) video-surveys to investigate the status of a pilot deep-sea no-take reserve implemented in the northwestern Mediterranean by quantifying demographic indicators of Norway lobsters and the co-existing benthic community, seafloor restoration, and the presence of marine litter. The results revealed that in the no-take reserve the Norway lobster stock showed higher abundance and biomass, and slightly larger body sizes than in the control area without fishing prohibition. Some taxa, such as the fishes Helicolenus dactylopterus and Trigla lyra and anemones of the family Cerianthidae, increased in abundance. We also observed that all trawling marks were smoothed and most of the seafloor was intact, clear indicators of the recovery of the muddy seafloor. The accumulation of marine debris and terrestrial vegetation was similar in the no-take reserve and the fished area. On the basis of the results of this study, we suggest that the use of no-take reserves might be an effective measure for recovering the Norway lobster stock, its co-existing megafauna community, and the surrounding demersal habitat. We also suggest that ROV video-survey might be a useful, and non-invasive method to monitor megafauna and seafloor status in protected deep-sea environments.

Darwin's paradise contaminated by marine debris. Understanding their sources and accumulation dynamics.☆

Plastic pollution is a global environmental threat. Remote and pristine islands are not safe from this threat. Here, we estimated beach macro- (>25 mm), meso- (5–25 mm) and microdebris (<5 mm) levels in Galapagos and studied the role of environmental variables determining their accumulation. The vast majority of beach macro- and mesodebris were plastic, while most microdebris were cellulosic. The levels of beach macro-, meso- and microplastics were notably high and comparable with exceptional levels reported in contaminated areas. Oceanic currents and the anthropic pressure of use of the beach were the main factors that determined the level of macro- and mesoplastics, as well as the diversity of items, with more types of items in the beaches facing the predominant current. Microplastic levels were mainly driven by the slope and, to some extent, the grain size of the sediment in the beach. The absence of relationship between the levels of large size debris and the level of microplastics suggests that secondary microplastics that accumulated in the beaches were previously fragmented before arriving to the beach. This differential influence of environmental factors in the accumulation of marine debris according to their size should be taken into account when developing strategies to mitigate plastic pollution. Additionally, this study reports high levels of marine debris reported in a remote and protected area such as Galapagos, which are comparable to areas with direct sources of marine debris. This is especially worrying for Galapagos since the sampled beaches are cleaned at least annually. This fact highlights the global dimension of this environmental threat that demands further extensive international commitment to conserve some of the last paradises on Earth.

Identifying marine debris source position using adjoint marginal sensitivity method and stranded beach litter data in Singapore

Movement of marine debris is transboundary and complex, travelling vast distances and accumulating on shorelines. These marine debris wash ashore as stranded beach litter. The objective of this work is to identify release sources of marine debris accumulated along the Singapore coastlines collected by applying a time-backward adjoint marginal sensitivity method and citizen science data of stranded beach litter by a voluntary beach clean-up group. A popular tourist hotspot on the opposite shore was estimated as a possible release source contributing to the marine debris accumulation. This analytical result was validated by population density, industry types, rainfall, and inference from product packaging labels. The use of the citizen science data also illustrated potential as a data source for baseline monitoring and long-term cross-border research that influence policymaking. Future research can be conducted in an expanded domain, considering monsoon effects and instantaneous release events.

Temporal trends in anthropogenic marine macro-debris and micro-debris accumulation on the California Channel Islands

Accumulation of anthropogenic marine debris on shorelines is an issue of global concern, even impacting areas that are remote, uninhabited, or have protected area status. On islands in Southern California, USA, within the boundaries of a National Park and National Marine Sanctuary, we collected macro-debris on beaches and assessed micro-debris in beach sediment seasonally between 2016-2020. Macro-debris (&amp;gt;5mm) was collected from seven beaches on two California Channel Islands and two sites on the mainland. We assessed both the number of items collected and total mass of debris. Composition of macro-debris items was dominated by plastics, particularly fragmented hard and foamed plastics and food packaging. A substantial quantity of lost or discarded fishing gear was collected, with the most fishery-related debris found at sites with historically highest spiny lobster fishing effort. The initial density of debris items ranged from 0.01-0.13 items m-2 and the initial density of debris mass ranged from 0.01-0.02 kg m-2. Mean accumulation rates of debris were strongly site-dependent and ranged from 0.03-0.34 items m-2 yr-1 and 0.01-0.05 kg m-2 yr-1, and tended to be highest in the fall and winter months. Anthropogenic micro-debris (&amp;lt;5mm) was found in beach sediment at all sites. Micro-debris had no statistically significant relationship with accumulation rates of total macro-debris items, or plastic macro-debris items. There were, however, statistically significant relationships between accumulation rates of total macro-debris mass and plastic macro-debris mass. We compared the rate of accumulation of fishing debris items and mass during the lobster season (October-March) for the years 2017 to 2020. The accumulation of fishery-related debris differed significantly among sites, with apparent declines over time, likely reflecting declining effort in the fishery and trap-limit regulations implemented in the 2017-2018 season. Our assessment of marine debris accumulation on California Channel Island beaches has provided detailed information on the types of debris and patterns of accumulation. Unfortunately, remoteness from direct human impact and protected-area status does not protect these habitats against the onslaught of marine litter. Assessments of marine debris are critical to identify sources, to inform policy and to support efforts to reduce the impact of marine litter on vital coastal ecosystems.

Plastic Filtration and Decomposition According to Ricochet Filtering Mechanism Using Ideonella sakaiensis

Our oceans have been under immense stress due to the deposition and accumulation of marine debris, of which 80% are plastics. Of these, microplastics which are small plastic fragments measuring less than five mm, have been a real bane to the marine fauna, especially the ornamental fishes inhabiting coral reef regions. The multibillion-dollar marine ornamental fish trade depends on these fishes caught from coral reefs. It has often been found that these small fishes are severely affected due to the choking of their gills with microplastics as they are natural filter feeders. To curb the load of plastics in the oceans, and especially in the waters around coral reefs, this study aims to develop a small-scale solution, which could later be scaled up by increasing the size and number of each unit as required. The system has been inspired by the filter-feeding mechanism of manta rays as a basic model for the filtration module. The use of a bacteria named Ideonella sakaiensis, which has been known to decompose plastics inherently is the second level of ideation that has gone into the design. The whole system has been envisaged as a floating system, where the filtration units would be submerged under water and the design of the platform over water would have a provision for self-sustenance, apart from the obvious role in maintaining buoyancy. Each filtration unit has been designed to possess multiple layers of sieving, vortexing and cross-flow filtration with a batch of I. sakaiensis at the end of the unit. To maintain a unidirectional flow of water, a fan would be placed at the end of these filtration units. This system can be a solution to the accumulation of plastics in a localized environment and can be scaled up in terms of size and the number of units to cover a greater area and volume to reduce the menace of plastic pollution. This could be a unique and cost-effective answer to the loss of marine fauna, more specifically ornamental fishes to the curse of microplastics.

Unmanned aerial vehicles and deep learning for assessment of anthropogenic marine debris on beaches on an island in a semi-enclosed sea in Japan

The increasing prevalence of marine debris is a global problem, and urgent action for amelioration is needed. Identifying hotspots where marine debris accumulates will enable effective control; however, knowledge on the location of accumulation hotspots remains incomplete. In particular, marine debris accumulation on beaches is a concern. Surveys of beaches require intensive human effort, and survey methods are not standardized. If marine debris monitoring is conducted using a standardized method, data from different regions can be compared. With an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and deep learning computational methods, monitoring a wide area at a low cost in a standardized way may be possible. In this study, we aimed to identify marine debris on beaches through deep learning using high-resolution UAV images by conducting a survey on Narugashima Island in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. The flight altitude relative to the ground was set to 5 m, and images of a 0.81-ha area were obtained. Flight was conducted twice: before and after the beach cleaning. The combination of UAVs equipped with a zoom lens and operation at a low altitude allows for the acquisition of high resolution images of 1.1 mm/pixel. The training dataset (2970 images) was annotated by using VoTT, categorizing them into two classes: ‘anthropogenic marine debris’ and ‘natural objects.’ Using RetinaNet, marine debris was identified with an average sensitivity of 51% and a precision of 76%. In addition, the abundance and area of marine debris coverage were estimated. In this study, it was revealed that the combination of UAVs and deep learning enables the effective identification of marine debris. The effects of cleanup activities by citizens were able to be quantified. This method can widely be used to evaluate the effectiveness of citizen efforts toward beach cleaning and low-cost long-term monitoring.

Marine Debris Accumulation in the Mar Chiquita Coastal Lagoon (Biosphere Reserve, Mab-Unesco), a Unique Wetland in Northern Argentina

Marine Debris Accumulation in the Mar Chiquita Coastal Lagoon (Biosphere Reserve, Mab-Unesco), a Unique Wetland in Northern Argentina

Characteristics of surface currents in Manado Bay, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Manado Bay is a complex waterway located in Manado City, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. It is an entry point for the Indonesia Trough-Flow, and its circulation is affected by the seasonal winds. Manado City has no debris net on its river estuaries. Therefore, marine debris can easily be carried away by the ocean currents and accumulate in the tourism areas located along the coast of Manado Bay. Consequently, it is important to study the sea surface current circulation in Manado Bay to deal with marine debris accumulation. In the present study, we utilized the DELFT3D software to simulate the hydrodynamic circulation in Manado Bay from 2016-2017. We conducted a 2-dimension (2D) horizontal hydrodynamic simulation using tidal and wind forcing from European Centre for Medium-Range Weather (ECMWF). The simulation results indicate that the change in bathymetry and wind affect the sea surface currents. During the summer monsoon (June-August), the sea surface current flows from the northeast to the southwest with an average speed of 1.1 cm s-1. On the contrary, during the transitional monsoon 1 (September-November), the sea surface current flows from the southeast to the northwest with an average speed of 1.3 cm s-1. Meanwhile, in the winter monsoon (December-February), the sea surface current originated from the southwest flows to the east with an average velocity of 1.9 cm s-1. Then, it moves from west to east during transitional monsoon 2 (March-May) with an average speed of 1.5 cm s-1. The current speed increases whenthe water enters the strait between the Bunaken Islands due to refraction, diffraction, and shallowing effect. As current flows toward the shallower area, the current speed increases, compensating the water column reduction.

Marine debris knows no boundaries: Characteristics of debris accumulation in marine protected areas of the Florida Keys

Marine debris is a persistent and pervasive threat worldwide including inside marine protected areas (MPAs). To assess marine debris accumulation rates and potential impacts, we counted and evaluated trap, non-trap fishing gear, and non-fishing debris in unprotected areas and MPAs with different management boundary regulations in the Florida Keys (USA). Analyses identified that neither MPA type nor size were strong drivers of debris density and that debris densities were not statistically different between unprotected areas and MPAs. Non-fishing and non-trap fishing gear debris densities were potentially related to unexplored local differences in human behavior, while trap debris density was likely associated with oceanographic forces that transported traps into the MPAs. Overall, our results suggested that the drivers of marine debris accumulation for each debris category were different and may vary with each individual MPA, and that marine debris is not constrained by MPA boundaries.

A Cloud-Based Framework for Large-Scale Monitoring of Ocean Plastics Using Multi-Spectral Satellite Imagery and Generative Adversarial Network

Marine debris is considered a threat to the inhabitants, as well as the marine environments. Accumulation of marine debris, besides climate change factors, including warming water, sea-level rise, and changes in oceans’ chemistry, are causing the potential collapse of the marine environment’s health. Due to the increase of marine debris, including plastics in coastlines, ocean and sea surfaces, and even in deep ocean layers, there is a need for developing new advanced technology for the detection of large-sized marine pollution (with sizes larger than 1 m) using state-of-the-art remote sensing and machine learning tools. Therefore, we developed a cloud-based framework for large-scale marine pollution detection with the integration of Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and advanced machine learning tools on the Sentinel Hub cloud application programming interface (API). Moreover, we evaluated the performance of two shallow machine learning algorithms of random forest (RF) and support vector machine (SVM), as well as the deep learning method of the generative adversarial network-random forest (GAN-RF) for the detection of ocean plastics in the pilot site of Mytilene Island, Greece. Based on the obtained results, the shallow algorithms of RF and SVM achieved an overall accuracy of 88% and 84%, respectively, with available training data of plastic debris. The GAN-RF classifier improved the detection of ocean plastics of the RF method by 8%, achieving an overall accuracy of 96% by generating several synthetic ocean plastic samples.

Daily environmental variation influences temporal patterns of marine debris deposition along an estuarine outlet in southern Brazil

The influence of short-term (daily) variation in environmental conditions (rainfall, wind, tide, river flow) on debris accumulation was examined on two beaches at an estuarine outlet. Sampling occurred over 60 consecutive days along two sections (Internal Area, IA; and External Area, EA) of the Paranaguá Estuary Complex's southern outlet, in Paraná, southern Brazil. The IA is sheltered from direct wave action, whereas the EA is more exposed to wave and wind action from the open ocean. The IA accounted for 71% of the total debris, while the EA accounted for 29%. Debris abundance was highest after intermediate bouts of rainfall, although river flow only affected debris accumulation in the IA. Wind and tide influenced accumulation differently across sites. These results highlight the importance of short-term variation in the accumulation of marine debris on sandy beaches, which should be considered when designing and monitoring assessment programs and removal strategies.

The role of oceanographic processes and sedimentological settings on the deposition of microplastics in marine sediment: Icelandic waters

The global distribution of microplastic debris on the sea floor poses an increasing risk to marine organisms and ecosystems. Here, we present a distribution analysis of microplastics collected from eight marine multicores recovered from the Iceland continental shelf and surrounding areas at water depth between 241 and 1628 m. We report a total of 306 microplastics from the size range > 250 μm −5 mm, of which all were fibers. Microplastic numbers range between 0.119 and 0.768 per gram of dry sediments. In the analysis we assess the potential role of oceanic surface and bottom water currents, organic content, and sediment type on the distribution, deposition, and burial of microplastics in marine sediments. Our results provide the first record of microplastic pollution of marine sediments from the Iceland continental shelf and identify Atlantic Cod feeding and breeding grounds as potential hot spot for the accumulation of marine debris.

Marine debris in the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, a remote oceanic marine protected area in tropical SW Atlantic

Marine debris is widespread worldwide, from coastal areas to remote protected oceanic islands. We assessed marine macro-debris on the shores of Fernando de Noronha, an archipelago 360 km off Brazil that encompasses no-take and multiple-use areas. The windward uninhabited coast, more exposed to oceanic currents and winds and inside a no-take area, presented higher abundance of plastic debris. The leeward coast, within the multiple-use urban area, presented more disposable plastics and cigarette butts. These patterns may be explained by the marine debris transportation by ocean currents to the windward side and by locally generated debris by the high quantity of beach users in the leeward coast. These results indicate that oceanographic characteristics and tourism infrastructure play important roles in the accumulation of marine debris in a protected archipelago. They also serve as a baseline for future monitoring initiatives and to improve strategies to tackle plastic pollution within this remote archipelago.