Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




WATER WORLD
New study reveals the global impact of debris on marine life
by Staff Writers
Plymouth, UK (SPX) Feb 23, 2015


This is a sample of the debris recovered from marine life. Image courtesy Lloyd Russell.

Nearly 700 species of marine animal have been recorded as having encountered man-made debris such as plastic and glass according to the most comprehensive impact study in more than a decade.

Researchers at Plymouth University found evidence of 44,000 animals and organisms becoming entangled in, or swallowing debris, from reports recorded from across the globe.

Plastic accounted for nearly 92 per cent of cases, and 17 per cent of all species involved were found to be threatened or near threatened on the IUCN Red List, including the Hawaiian monk seal, the loggerhead turtle and sooty shearwater.

In a paper, The impact of debris on marine life, published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, authors Sarah Gall and Professor Richard Thompson present evidence collated from a wide variety of sources on instances of entanglement, ingestion, physical damage to ecosystems, and rafting - where species are transported by debris.

Sarah Gall said: "The impact of debris on marine life is of particular concern, and effects can be wide reaching, with the consequence of ingestion and entanglement considered to be harmful. Reports in the literature began in the 1960s with fatalities being well documented for birds, turtles, fish and marine mammals."

In total, they found that 693 species had been documented as having encountered debris, with nearly 400 involving entanglement and ingestion. These incidents had occurred around the world, but were most commonly reported off the east and west coasts of North America, as well as Australia and Europe.

Plastic rope and netting were responsible for the majority of entanglements, with a high number of incidents affecting northern right whales, green, loggerhead and hawksbill turtles, and the northern fulmar.

Plastic fragments were the highest recorded substance for ingestion, with the green sea turtle and northern fulmar again, the Laysan albatross, the Californian seal lion, the Atlantic puffin, and the greater shearwater among the worst affected species.

"We found that all known species of sea turtle, and more than half of all species of marine mammal and seabird had been affected by marine debris - and that number has risen since the last major study," said Sarah. "And in nearly 80 per cent of entanglement cases this had resulted in direct harm or death."

The authors say that while only four per cent of cases involving ingestion were known to have caused harm, further study of sub-lethal impacts are needed, with areas of concern around the impact upon metabolism and reproduction.

Professor Richard Thompson, who is acknowledged as one of the world's leading experts on microplastics in the marine environment, said: "Encounters with marine debris are of particular concern for species that are recognised to be threatened, and with 17 per cent of all species reported in the paper as near threatened, vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, it is evident that marine debris may be contributing to the potential for species extinction."


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
University of Plymouth
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle




Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News





WATER WORLD
Scuba divers lead charge against invasive lionfish
Islamorada, United States (AFP) Feb 17, 2015
Clad in a gray hooded wetsuit, Eric Billips straps on his scuba tank, grabs a pole spear and nods at his dive buddy as they step feet-first off the boat and disappear with a splash into sparkling blue waters off the Florida Keys. The lionfish hunt is on. Billips, 42, speared his first lionfish six years ago and estimates he has since killed thousands of the invasive, venomous predators, ... read more


WATER WORLD
Application of laser microprobe technology to Apollo samples refines lunar impact history

NASA releases video of the far side of the Moon

US Issuing Licenses for Mineral Mining on Moon

LRO finds lunar hydrogen more abundant on Moon's pole-facing slopes

WATER WORLD
Mars One cuts list of potential colonists to 100

Scientists fail to explain strange plumes spotted on Martian surface

NASA's Curiosity Analyzing Sample of Martian Mountain

Mars Rover Nearing Marathon Achievement

WATER WORLD
The ISS Menu: Mayo, Espressos, Booze? Cosmonauts Reveal Their Secrets

London workshop teaches nuts and bolts behind tech

Critical NASA Science Returns to Earth aboard SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft

45th Space Wing, SpaceX sign first-ever landing pad agreement at the Cape

WATER WORLD
More Astronauts for China

China launches the FY-2 08 meteorological satellite successfully

China's Long March puts satellite in orbit on 200th launch

Countdown to China's new space programs begins

WATER WORLD
Russia Launches Fresh Fruit, Oxygen to Crew on ISS

Europe destroys last space truck to ISS

NASA, Space Station Partners Announce Future Mission Crew Members

Camera to record doomed ATV's disintegration - from inside

WATER WORLD
Soyuz Installed at Baikonur, Expected to Launch Wednesday

SpaceX launches deep-space weather observatory

SpaceX cargo craft returns to Earth

High seas force SpaceX to ditch bid to recycle rocket

WATER WORLD
Scientists predict earth-like planets around most stars

"Vulcan Planets" - Inside-Out Formation of Super-Earths

Dawn ahead!

Habitable Evaporated Cores

WATER WORLD
3-D printing with custom molecules creates low-cost mechanical sensor

See here now: Telescopic contact lenses and wink-control glasses

Getting in shape

Arachnid Rapunzel: Researchers spin spider silk proteins into artificial silk




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.