Abundance and distribution of surface microplastics in the Mediterranean Sea

Description

The information contained in this dataset corresponds to the number of microplastics (MSD10) on the surface (monitoring programme BM4). These data are collected from campaigns outside the Member States, such as the MEDIAS campaign, whose main objective is the evaluation of stocks of small pelagics by acoustic methods, and in which the sampling of microplastics on the surface using Manta Trawl has been introduced as a secondary objective. In addition, this data set includes data from projects such as the samplings that are carried out annually by the marine litter team of the Balearic Oceanographic Center periodically since 2017 in the cleaning vessels of the sea coast, managed by the Balearic Water and Environmental Quality Agency (ABAQUA). We also had the data from the European PlasticBusters project during 2019 and 2020, as well as those obtained in the national ACUIPLASTIC project in 2019, those from the campaign carried out in Columbretes by the Infrarock team, and the data from the microplastics monitoring program carried out by the Jaume Ferrer station, (MOLAMEN project). Both the data from ABAQUA, PlasticBusters, ACUIPLASTIC and MOLAMEN have been taken in the Balearic Sea belonging to the Levantine-Balear demarcation of the Mediterranean Sea, while the data from the MEDIAS campaign have been obtained both in the Levantine-Balearic demarcation and in the Strait-Alboran demarcation. The different samplings have been carried out using different surface microplastic sampling networks (Manta Trawl; MT). Due to the variety of campaigns integrated in this database, we have worked with different MTs that have different frame openings. However, all nets had a mesh size of 335 μm. The MT was towed parallel to the coastline for 15 min at an average speed of between 1.5 and 2 knots. The TM was towed from the side of the vessel and at a sufficient distance to ensure that sampling took place outside the turbulence of the wake produced by the engine of the vessel. Once in the laboratory, the collected water samples are filtered by using a filtration ramp with the help of a suction pump. As a result, microplastics and other items collected with the blanket are collected in fiberglass filters. For the correct identification of MPs, the filters are analyzed after the drying process at room temperature. The filters are analyzed under binocular magnifying glass and the identified MPs are classified by typology (fibers, fragments, filaments, films, foams), size (MPs, mesoplastics or macroplastics) and color following the protocols of the TG-ML working group. It is a data set composed of linear elements, where each element represents a sampling transect. Each object is associated with a series of alphanumeric variables such as the name of the sampling, the name of the campaign, the date and georeferencing, according to the GIS protocol of the Marine Strategies of Spain (EsMarEs) project. During the projects considered there are a total of 419 samples of which 409 have been taken in the Levantine-Balearic demarcation of the Mediterranean Sea, while 10 correspond to the Strait-Alboran demarcation. The geographical information collected is stored in a spatial database. This work has been financed thanks to the project ‘Technical Scientific Advice for the Protection of the Marine Environment: Evaluation and Monitoring of Marine Strategies, Monitoring of Protected Marine Areas of State Competence (2018-2024)’. Marine Strategies are the marine environmental planning instrument created under Directive 2008/56/EC (as amended by Directive 2017/845) establishing a framework for Community action in the field of marine environmental policy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive), and have as their main objective the achievement of the Good Environmental Status (GES) of our seas. The 11 Good Environmental Status descriptors form the basis for the description and determination of good environmental status of the marine environment. They are established by the Directive in its Annex I. The marine assessment areas are located within the Marine Reporting Units (MRUs) defined in the framework of the Marine Strategies of Spain.

Resources

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Tags

  • manta-trawl
  • muestreo
  • estrategias-marinas
  • basuras
  • demarcación-marina-leba
  • demarcación-marina-esal
  • directive-2008-56-ec
  • plásticos

Topics

  • ENVI
  • TECH

Categories