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Environmental Sources
Marine & Wildlife
Policy & Risk
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Citizen scientists reveal: Marine litter pollutes Arctic beaches and affects wild life
Marine Pollution Bulletin2017
210 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 45
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Tekman, Mine,
Tekman, Mine,
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Tekman, Mine,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Tekman, Mine,
Melanie Bergmann
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Birgit Lutz,
Birgit Lutz,
Birgit Lutz,
Birgit Lutz,
Melanie Bergmann
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Melanie Bergmann
Lars Gutow,
Tekman, Mine,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Melanie Bergmann
Lars Gutow,
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Lars Gutow,
Melanie Bergmann
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Tekman, Mine,
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Tekman, Mine,
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Tekman, Mine,
Tekman, Mine,
Melanie Bergmann
Lars Gutow,
Lars Gutow,
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Lars Gutow,
Tekman, Mine,
Tekman, Mine,
Tekman, Mine,
Tekman, Mine,
Tekman, Mine,
Tekman, Mine,
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Tekman, Mine,
Lars Gutow,
Tekman, Mine,
Tekman, Mine,
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Tekman, Mine,
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Lars Gutow,
Melanie Bergmann
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Melanie Bergmann
Tekman, Mine,
Melanie Bergmann
Summary
Citizen scientists surveying beaches on the remote Arctic island of Svalbard found plastic litter densities comparable to heavily populated coastal areas, with over 80% of the litter being plastic and most traceable to the fishing industry. The study demonstrates both the reach of plastic pollution into remote polar ecosystems and the value of citizen science for environmental monitoring.
Study Type
Environmental
Recent data indicate accumulation areas of marine litter in Arctic waters and significant increases over time. Beaches on remote Arctic islands may be sinks for marine litter and reflect pollution levels of the surrounding waters particularly well. We provide the first quantitative data from surveys carried out by citizen scientists on six beaches of Svalbard. Litter quantities recorded by cruise tourists varied from 9-524gm<sup>-2</sup> and were similar to those from densely populated areas. Plastics accounted for >80% of the overall litter, most of which originated from fisheries. Photographs provided by citizens show deleterious effects of beach litter on Arctic wildlife, which is already under strong pressure from global climate change. Our study highlights the potential of citizen scientists to provide scientifically valuable data on the pollution of sensitive remote ecosystems. The results stress once more that current legislative frameworks are insufficient to tackle the pollution of Arctic ecosystems.