Suchergebnisse

Human activities can alter the ordinary operation of Earth-system processes in such a way that it escalates risks in societies across the globe. One of the more visible human activities is the production, consumption and disposal of plastic items and/or materials, the consequences of which are borne by marine life. The dissertation is founded on the premise that conservation of the marine environment must be a priority for all States. States must take responsibility for the prevention of pollution of the marine environment and further take accountability where activities within their territory are causing pollution of the marine environment through the enforcement of legislative measures. The dissertation is drafted in a manner that aims to ultimately deduce whether the current pollution laws in South Africa adequately address marine plastic pollution (MPP). As such, Chapter Two relies on the regulatory position of MPP at the international level. Various legal instruments relating to marine pollution are expounded on such as the LOSC, MARPOL, London Convention and other regional instruments relating particularly to the African continent. The chapter aims to detail the most relevant global instruments that South Africa is a party to and which promote and mandate States parties to protect the marine environment through the implementation and enforcement of regulatory measures. The global measures either exclusively address MPP or provide general provisions for marine environment protection. Chapter Three and Four of the dissertation provide a critical analysis of the legal measures adopted at the national, provincial and local levels respectively to control, reduce and prevent pollution, including MPP. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 requires the national, provincial and local levels of government to co-operate with each other to provide ―effective, efficient, transparent, accountable and coherent governance‖. Therefore, it is essential for this study to investigate the regulation of MPP at ...

The excessive use of plastic in our society is causing a massive accumulation, since it is a non-biodegradable product and with still poor recycling rates. This effect can be observed in the seas, which more and more plastic waste are accumulating. The present work is a critical review, based on all currently available literature, that reports environmental status of marine plastic pollution, especially microplastic pollution, in Spain. The three Spanish water areas with the highest presence of plastics are the Alboran Sea, the Gulf of Alicante and the vicinity of Barcelona probably related to fishing and industrial activities and high population densities. With regard to microplastic contamination on beaches in Spain, annual monitoring by the Spanish government shows contamination along the entire coast of the country, with particularly high concentrations in the Canary Islands (between 800 and 8800 particles/m2 in spring). Between 40 and 50% of the particles analyzed were pellets and the main factors postulated for the distribution of these particles are marine currents and the geomorphological characteristics. With regards to biota, ingestion of microplastics by fish has been intensely confirmed and, important differences were observed between the locations of the sampling, being bogues (Boops boops) one of the fish species more studied in Spain. Finally, the work includes a revision of European and Spanish legislation about plastics and marine pollution and some strategies to reduce this kind of contamination in Spain.

Front Cover -- Plastic Pollution and Marine Conservation -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- List of contributors -- Preface -- 1 Marine plastics: what's wrong with them? -- References -- 2 Microplastics in seawater and sediments-distribution and transport -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Microplastics distribution in seawater of the Mediterranean Sea -- 2.2.1 The Western and Central Mediterranean Sea -- 2.2.2 The Northern Mediterranean Sea -- 2.2.3 The Eastern Mediterranean Sea -- 2.2.4 The Southern Mediterranean Sea -- 2.3 Microplastic distribution in subtidal sediments of the Mediterranean Sea -- 2.3.1 The Western and Central Mediterranean Sea -- 2.3.2 The Northern Mediterranean Sea -- 2.3.3 The Eastern Mediterranean Sea -- 2.3.4 The Southern Mediterranean Sea -- 2.4 Types of microplastics in seawater and sediments of the Mediterranean Sea -- 2.4.1 Size of microplastics -- 2.4.2 Shape of microplastics -- 2.4.3 Microplastic material -- 2.5 Transport of microplastics in marine environment -- 2.5.1 Photodegradation, biofouling, and sinking of microplastics -- 2.5.2 Transport of microplastics in the water column -- 2.5.3 Plastic accumulations in the Mediterranean Sea -- 2.5.4 Transport of microplastic by marine biota -- 2.6 Conclusions and perspectives -- Acknowledgments -- References -- 3 Fate, transport, and impact of microplastics on planktonic organisms -- References -- 4 Plastic impact on marine benthic organisms and food webs -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 Current knowledge on plastic pollution on marine benthic organisms -- 4.2.1 Presence and impacts of plastic on seagrasses and macroalgae -- 4.2.2 Presence of plastic in macroinvertebrates and fish -- 4.2.3 Ecotoxicological effects -- 4.2.4 Impacts of plastics on benthic communities -- 4.2.5 Impact of plastics on food webs -- 4.3 Knowledge gaps and conclusions -- Acknowledgments -- References.

Microplastics commonly refer to plastic particles below 5 mm in size. They can be grouped into two broad categories, primary and secondary microplastics, based on the formation processes involved.

Intro -- Contents -- About the Editor -- Effect of Textile Parameters on Microfiber Shedding Properties of Textiles -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Microfiber Shedding Mechanism -- 3 Microfiber Generations in Different Phases of Life Cycle -- 3.1 Production Stage -- 3.2 Consumption Stage -- 3.3 Disposal Stage -- 4 Effect of Textile Parameters in Microfiber Shedding -- 4.1 Effect of Fiber Properties -- 4.2 Effect of Yarn Parameters -- 4.3 Effect of Fabric Parameters and Properties -- 4.4 Effect of Surface Finishes -- 4.5 Effects of Aging -- 5 Summary and Recommendations -- References -- Current State of Microplastics Research in SAARC Countries-A Review -- 1 Introduction -- 2 The Knowledge of Microplastics Research in SAARC Nations -- 3 India -- 3.1 Coastal Environment -- 3.2 Riverine Environment -- 3.3 Lacustrine Environment -- 3.4 Groundwater -- 3.5 Biota -- 3.6 Salt -- 3.7 Dust/Atmospheric Deposition -- 4 Pakistan -- 5 Maldives -- 6 Bangladesh -- 7 Sri Lanka -- 8 Nepal -- 9 Recommendations for Future Studies -- 10 Conclusion -- References -- Distribution and Impact of Microplastics in the Aquatic Systems: A Review of Ecotoxicological Effects on Biota -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Review Methods and Data Treatment -- 3 The Occurrence of Microplastics in Aquatic Biota -- 4 Interaction and Uptake Mechanism of Microplastics by Aquatic Biota -- 5 Ecotoxicological Effects of Microplastics on Aquatic Biota -- 5.1 Toxicity Effect at Subcellular, Cellular, and Organ Level of Biota -- 5.2 Toxicity Effects on the Behavioral Pattern -- 6 Microplastics Associated Contaminants Effects on Biotas -- 7 Conclusion, Future Research, and Recommendation -- References -- Microplastic Pollution in Marine Environment: Occurrence, Fate, and Effects (With a Specific Focus on Biogeochemical Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles) -- 1 Introduction -- 1.1 Concept and Composition of Microplastics.

Marine plastics pollution (MPP) is an alarming problem affecting many countries, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, and generated mostly from land-based sources. Five Asian countries (i.e. China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Sri Lanka) have been identified as the largest sources of MPP globally. This article presents two cases studies focused on the two largest polluters: China and Indonesia. Both countries face similar challenges in dealing with plastic pollution. They have weak legal and institutional frameworks in place to deal with MPP. The two case studies also show that there have been more creative and effective measures taken at the domestic level by local governments and non-state actors, many of which involve partnerships among different stakeholders. This article argues that governance efforts to address MPP require an 'all hands-on deck' approach, involving multi-level and multi-actor strategies and targeted regulatory and non-regulatory measures. However, our findings also suggest that most efforts should be directed at the subnational level, from which the problem mainly originates. This article proposes a number of legal and policy recommendations, based on the lessons learned from the case studies, which can be instrumental in reducing the global MPP crisis.

The ocean and its marine resources play an important role in providing sources of livelihood to the Indonesian people. Indonesia is currently dealing with a major plastic waste problem, and this, in turn, also impacts the marine environment since the plastic waste ends up in the ocean. The issue of marine pollution is regulated under international conventions such as the MARPOL and UNCLOS, though none is specifically addressing marine plastic waste. Moreover, Indonesia has enacted several regulations to manage marine plastic waste, including Presidential Regulation Number 83 of 2018 on Marine Waste Management, and Indonesian citizens have taken an active role in reducing plastic waste. However, stricter and more specific regulations are needed as guidelines for the long-term strategy in handling marine plastic pollution in Indonesia, and proper analysis on the impact of such regulation towards the stakeholders and affected parties would be needed.