Article
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Tier 2
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Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence.
Human Health Effects
Marine & Wildlife
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Global assessment of marine plastic exposure risk for oceanic birds
Nature Communications2023
88 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Bethany L. Clark,
Ana P. B. Carneiro,
Elizabeth J. Pearmain,
Marie‐Morgane Rouyer,
Thomas A. Clay,
Win Cowger,
Richard A. Phillips,
Andrea Manica,
Carolina Hazin,
Marcus Eriksen,
Jacob González‐Solís,
Josh Adams,
Yuri V. Albores‐Barajas,
Joanna Alfaro‐Shigueto,
Maria Alho,
Deusa Teixeira Araujo,
José Manuel Arcos,
John P. Y. Arnould,
Nadito Barbosa,
Christophe Barbraud,
Annalea Beard,
Jessie Beck,
Elizabeth Bell,
Della G. Bennet,
Maud Berlincourt,
Manuel Biscoito,
Oskar K. Bjørnstad,
Mark Bolton,
Katherine A. Booth Jones,
John J. Borg,
Karen Bourgeois,
Vincent Bretagnolle,
Joël Bried,
James V. Briskie,
M. de L. Brooke,
Katherine Brownlie,
Leandro Bugoni,
Licia Calabrese,
Letizia Campioni,
Mark J. Carey,
Ryan D. Carle,
Nicholas Carlile,
Ana R. Carreiro,
Paulo Catry,
Teresa Catry,
Jacopo G. Cecere,
Filipe R. Ceia,
Yves Cherel,
Chang‐Yong Choi,
Marco Cianchetti‐Benedetti,
Rohan H. Clarke,
Jaimie Cleeland,
Valentina Colodro,
Bradley C. Congdon,
Jóhannis Danielsen,
Federico De Pascalis,
Zoe Deakin,
Nina Dehnhard,
Giacomo Dell’Omo,
Karine Delord,
Sébastien Descamps,
Ben J. Dilley,
Herculano Dinis,
Jérôme Dubos,
Brendon J. Dunphy,
Louise Emmerson,
Ana Isabel Fagundes,
Annette L. Fayet,
Jonathan J. Felis,
Johannes H. Fischer,
Amanda N. D. Freeman,
Aymeric Fromant,
Giorgia Gaibani,
David Barros‐García,
Carina Gjerdrum,
Ivandra Gomes,
Manuela G. Forero,
José P. Granadeiro,
W. James Grecian,
David Grémillet,
Tim Guilford,
Gunnar Þór Hallgrímsson,
Luke R. Halpin,
Erpur Snær Hansen,
April Hedd,
Morten Helberg,
Hálfdán H. Helgason,
Leeann M. Henry,
Hannah F. R. Hereward,
Marcos Hernández-Montero,
Mark A. Hindell,
Peter Hodum,
Simona Imperio,
Audrey Jaeger,
Mark Jessopp,
Patrick G. R. Jodice,
Carl G. Jones,
Christopher W. Jones,
Jón Eínar Jónsson,
Adam Kane
Summary
Researchers combined ocean plastic density maps with GPS tracking data for over 7,000 seabirds across 77 petrel species to identify where birds are most likely to encounter and accidentally eat plastic debris. High-risk zones were identified in the Mediterranean, northeast Pacific, and South Atlantic, with threatened species facing disproportionately greater exposure — often in international waters beyond any single country's control.
Plastic pollution is distributed patchily around the world's oceans. Likewise, marine organisms that are vulnerable to plastic ingestion or entanglement have uneven distributions. Understanding where wildlife encounters plastic is crucial for targeting research and mitigation. Oceanic seabirds, particularly petrels, frequently ingest plastic, are highly threatened, and cover vast distances during foraging and migration. However, the spatial overlap between petrels and plastics is poorly understood. Here we combine marine plastic density estimates with individual movement data for 7137 birds of 77 petrel species to estimate relative exposure risk. We identify high exposure risk areas in the Mediterranean and Black seas, and the northeast Pacific, northwest Pacific, South Atlantic and southwest Indian oceans. Plastic exposure risk varies greatly among species and populations, and between breeding and non-breeding seasons. Exposure risk is disproportionately high for Threatened species. Outside the Mediterranean and Black seas, exposure risk is highest in the high seas and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the USA, Japan, and the UK. Birds generally had higher plastic exposure risk outside the EEZ of the country where they breed. We identify conservation and research priorities, and highlight that international collaboration is key to addressing the impacts of marine plastic on wide-ranging species.