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Microplastics and floating litter pollution in Bulgarian Black Sea coastal waters
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Researchers conducted a pilot study of floating marine litter and microplastics along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, finding high quantities of floating litter (60.3-93.8 items per km) and microplastic concentrations of 0.114 to 1.91 x 10 items per km. Concentrations were on average lower than in other parts of the Black Sea, Baltic Sea, and Mediterranean Sea, though observed ranges were comparable.
Although marine plastic litter has been recognized as a global problem, there are insufficient data on the extent of plastic pollution in the Black Sea. The results from this pilot study of the floating marine litter and microplastics along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast revealed high quantities of floating litter (60.3-93.8 items.km). The microplastic concentrations (1.14 × 10-1.91 × 10 items.km, 0.33-490.52 g.km) were on average lower than those found in other parts of the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, although the observed ranges were similar. Further studies are needed to elaborate the extent and spatial distribution of this type of pollution in the Black Sea basin.
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Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in beach and seabed sediments along the southwestern Bulgarian Black Sea coast. Urbanized coastal areas had significantly higher microplastic levels than non-urbanized areas, with seabed samples averaging over 800 particles per kilogram of dry sediment. The study identified sewage discharges, urban waste, fisheries, and marine litter accumulation as likely sources of the contamination.
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This study assessed microplastic pollution in Bulgarian Black Sea coastal waters across different site types — protected, aquaculture, and industrial zones — providing one of the first quantitative datasets for this undermonitored region. The presence of microplastics in all areas, including protected sites, indicates that contamination is pervasive and that Black Sea marine organisms face widespread exposure to particles that can also carry adsorbed chemical pollutants.
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Researchers characterized microplastic pollution on beaches along the Black Sea coast in Romania and Bulgaria, finding microplastics at all sampled sites with fragment and fiber morphologies predominating and higher concentrations near tourist and urban areas.
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This dataset presents microplastic concentration data from surface water transects in Bulgarian Black Sea coastal waters collected during a 2017 Greenpeace campaign. The data are linked to a published study on microplastics and floating litter in this coastal region.
Microplastic contamination and characteristics spatially vary in the southern Black Sea beach sediment and sea surface water
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Microplastic abundance and characteristics were assessed along the southern Black Sea coastline, finding that over 70% of particles were smaller than 2.5 mm, with average concentrations of 64 particles/kg in beach sediment and 18.68 particles/m3 in seawater, and the Marmara region showing highest pollution.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.