Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Marine litter, microplastics and marine megafauna

This review examines the entanglement and ingestion of marine litter, particularly plastic, by megafauna including whales, dolphins, turtles, and seabirds. It documents how both large plastic debris and microplastics threaten charismatic marine species through physical injury, starvation, and toxicological effects.

2019 Open Research Exeter (University of Exeter) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Debris and Its Impacts on Marine Mammals

This review examines how plastic debris in the world's oceans affects marine mammals through ingestion, entanglement, and chemical exposure, finding that the durability and widespread distribution of plastics make them a persistent and growing threat to cetaceans, pinnipeds, and other marine mammals.

2023 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Efectos de la Contaminación Plástica en los Ecosistemas Marinos: Un Análisis Actualizado

This review analyzed current evidence on plastic contamination effects on marine ecosystems, examining physical entanglement, ingestion, chemical toxicity, and microplastic impacts on marine biodiversity and food web structure.

2024 Horizon Nexus Journal. 1 citations
Review Tier 2

How plastic debris and associated chemicals impact the marine food web: A review.

This review examined how plastic debris and associated chemicals disrupt marine food webs at all trophic levels, from physical entanglement and false satiation in megafauna to microplastic ingestion and chemical transfer through trophic magnification, concluding that plastic contamination poses systemic threats to marine ecosystem function.

2023 Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
Article Tier 2

Plastic pollution and ocean giants: Investigating the extent and impacts of plastic ingestion by marine megafauna

Researchers investigated the extent and impacts of plastic pollution on ocean giants including large marine vertebrates such as whales, basking sharks, and manta rays, which are exposed to microplastics through filter feeding and ingestion of contaminated prey. The review found growing evidence of microplastic ingestion in these species, with potential consequences for their health and conservation.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Marine litter: trends and impacts in marine fauna

This review synthesizes evidence on marine litter sources, distribution, and ecological impacts, with particular focus on microplastics as a pervasive contaminant across all marine habitats. It finds that microplastics threaten marine life through ingestion, entanglement, and chemical transport, with impacts spanning trophic levels from plankton to large marine mammals.

2025 Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT)
Article Tier 2

Plastic pollution and ocean giants: Investigating the extent and impacts of plastic ingestion by marine megafauna

This review examined the extent to which large ocean-going animals such as whales and whale sharks ingest and are harmed by plastic pollution, synthesizing data from stranding records and feeding observations. The evidence indicates that plastic ingestion is widespread among ocean giants, with documented cases of mortality and sublethal effects.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Cetaceans as Ocean Health Indicators of Marine Litter Impact at Global Scale

This review synthesized global evidence on how marine litter, including both macro- and micro-scale plastic, impacts cetacean species through entanglement and ingestion. It called for better understanding of current and predicted impacts to inform conservation measures for whale and dolphin populations.

2020 Frontiers in Environmental Science 55 citations
Article Tier 2

The adverse health effects of increasing microplastic pollution on aquatic mammals

Researchers reviewed the current evidence on microplastic contamination in aquatic ecosystems and its adverse health effects on aquatic mammals, which are particularly vulnerable as top predators. The study highlights that microplastics accumulate through the food chain and may cause physical harm, chemical toxicity, and serve as carriers for other pollutants, posing serious concerns for marine mammal populations.

2022 Journal of King Saud University - Science 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacto de la Contaminación Plástica en los Ecosistemas Marinos y su Panorama Actual

This literature review synthesizes evidence on how microplastics cause digestive blockages, cellular damage, and reproductive alterations across marine trophic levels, and evaluates the limitations of current single-use plastic reduction policies in addressing the broader plastic pollution crisis.

2024 Multidisciplinary Collaborative Journal 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding individual and population-level effects of plastic pollution on marine megafauna

Researchers reviewed 50 years of published studies on how plastic pollution affects marine megafauna including seabirds, marine mammals, and sea turtles at both individual and population levels. While numerous individual-level effects were documented, including starvation, injury, and reproductive impairment from entanglement and ingestion, no study provided direct evidence of population-level declines. The study highlights a critical gap in understanding whether the widespread individual harm from plastic pollution is translating into measurable population consequences for these species.

2020 Endangered Species Research 123 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions between marine megafauna and plastic pollution in Southeast Asia

Researchers reviewed published cases of marine megafauna — including sharks, dolphins, sea turtles, and seabirds — entangled in or having ingested plastics across Southeast Asia, a region that contributes roughly a third of global marine plastic pollution. Despite the scale of the problem, scientific documentation of plastic impacts on wildlife in the region remains far behind other parts of the world, highlighting a critical data gap.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 37 citations
Article Tier 2

The Problem of Plastic Waste Pollution in the World Ocean

This review examines plastic waste as the dominant and most persistent component of marine litter -- representing at least 85% of total marine debris -- summarizing lethal and sublethal effects on marine megafauna, invertebrates, and plankton, and discussing sources, transport pathways, and the policy landscape for reducing ocean plastic pollution.

2022 Bulletin of the National Technical University «KhPI» Series New solutions in modern technologies
Article Tier 2

Marine Mammals and Interactions with Debris in the Northeastern Atlantic Region: Synthesis and Recommendations for Monitoring and Research

This synthesis reviews what is known about interactions between marine mammals in the northeastern Atlantic and plastic debris, including ingestion and entanglement. The authors identify data gaps and recommend standardized monitoring approaches to better understand and mitigate plastic impacts on whales, dolphins, and seals.

2023
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in patagonian marine mammals: where do they come from and what is their fate once ingested?

Researchers investigated the sources and fate of microplastics ingested by Patagonian marine mammals, examining tissue distribution and accumulation pathways to understand how these particles move through the bodies of apex predators in southern ocean ecosystems.

2024
Article Tier 2

A Quantitative Analysis of Microplastics in the Gastrointestinal Tracts of Odontocetes in the Southeast Region of the United States

Researchers quantified microplastic accumulation in the gastrointestinal tracts of toothed whales from the southeastern United States. The study found microplastics present in all examined specimens, indicating that these marine mammals are routinely ingesting microplastic particles from their ocean environment.

2024 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Interaction of Plastics with Marine Species

This review summarizes how plastic and microplastic pollution harms a wide range of marine species through ingestion, entanglement, and chemical toxicity, and how plastics interact with other pollutants in the ocean. The evidence points to plastic pollution as one of the most serious threats to marine biodiversity worldwide.

2020 Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Tools and constraints in monitoring interactions between marine litter and megafauna: Insights from case studies around the world

Researchers synthesized case studies from seven global monitoring programs on marine litter interactions with megafauna — including fish, seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals — examining both macro-debris entanglement and microplastic ingestion, and discussed the critical need for standardized assessment methods to support international environmental policy.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 84 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Pollution as a Driver of Immune Dysregulation in Marine Mammal Populations

This review examines how microplastic pollution drives immune dysregulation in marine mammals, discussing how bioaccumulated MPs impair immune cell function, promote inflammation, and may compromise disease resistance in apex marine predators already stressed by other environmental pressures.

2025 Journal of Animal Environment