Seasonal comparison of beach litter on Mediterranean coastal sites (Alicante, SE Spain)

Asensio-Montesinos, F., Anfuso, G., Randerson, P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2744-3122 and Williams, A.T. 2019. Seasonal comparison of beach litter on Mediterranean coastal sites (Alicante, SE Spain). Ocean and Coastal Management 181 , 104914. 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2019.104914

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Abstract

Presence of beach litter was assessed during spring and summer seasons 2018, at 56 sites along the coast of Alicante Province (SE Spain). Selected sites covered “remote” (9), “rural” (10) “village” (17) and “urban” (20) bathing areas. In an area of 201,700 m2, a total of 10,101 litter items (Avg: 0.062 items m-2) was counted in spring, and 20,857 (Avg: 0.116 items m−2) in summer. The most significant seasonal evolution was observed in the cigarette butt, group which increased from 4607 to 12843 units. Plastic represented the dominant material in both seasons (82.6 and 83.5% respectively). Litter items increased greatly during the summer season despite the increasing frequency of cleaning operations and were essentially related to beach users activities. Secondarily, beach litter was related to wastewater discharges and fishing activities. Beach litter management along investigated sites must be based on plans to reduce litter sources. For that, it is necessary to consider beach typology along with the seasonal influx of visitors to define the most appropriate management actions, not forgetting the implementation of environmental education, essential in schools and media.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Biosciences
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0964-5691
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	7 October 2019
Date of Acceptance:	1 August 2019
Last Modified:	26 Nov 2024 08:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/125902

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