Relevant Research Papers
Copies of the following research papers are available by contacting the Algalita Marine Research Foundation at no charge. Please email your name and address to .
SPEECH: Advanced Topics in Environmental Enforcement
“Plastics Pollution and Its Impact On Our Oceans”
June 4, 2007 Asilomar, CA
A comparison of neustonic plastic and zooplankton at different depths near the southern California shore
A comparison of neustonic plastic and zooplankton abundance in southern California’s coastal waters
A comparison of plastic and plankton in the North Pacific central gyre
Working Our Way Upstream: A Snapshot Of Land-Based Contributions Of Plastic And Other Trash To Coastal Waters And Beaches Of Southern California
A Brief Analysis of Organic Pollutants Sorbed to Pre and Post-Production Plastic Particles from the Los Angeles and San Gabriel River Watersheds
Measuring The Effectiveness Of Voluntary Plastic Industry Efforts: AMRF’s Analysis Of Operation Clean Sweep
Density of Plastic Particles found in zooplankton trawls from Coastal Waters of California to the North Pacific Central Gyre
Composition and distribution of beach debris in Orange County, California
Preliminary Assessment of the Status and Health of Xantus’s Murrelets (Synthliboramphus hypoleucus) at Todos Santos Islands, Baja California, Mexico, in 2005
A comparison of neustonic plastic and zooplankton abundance in southern California’s coastal waters
The density of neustonic plastic particles was compared to that of zooplankton in the coastal ocean near Long Beach, California. Two trawl surveys were conducted, one after an extended dry period when there was little land-based runoff, and the second shortly after a storm when runoff was extensive. On each survey, neuston samples were collected at five sites along a transect parallel to shore using a manta trawl lined with 333 u mesh. Average plastic density during the study was 8 pieces per cubic meter, though density after the storm was seven times that prior to the storm. The mass of plastics was also higher after the storm, though the storm effect on mass was less than it was for density, reflecting a smaller average size of plastic particles after the storm. The average mass of plastic was two and a half times higher than that of plankton and was even higher after the storm. The spatial pattern of the ratio also differed before and after a storm. Before the storm, the highest plastic to plankton ratios were observed at the two stations closest to shore, whereas after the storm these stations had the lowest ratios.
Moore, C.J., S.L. Moore, S.B. Weisberg, G.L. Lattin, and A.F. Zellers. 2002. A comparison of neustonic plastic and zooplankton abundance in southern California's coastal waters. Marine Pollution Bulletin, Vol. 44 (2002) 1035-1038.
A comparison of neustonic plastic and zooplankton at different depths near the southern California shore
Previous studies of neustonic debris have been limited to surface samples. Here we conducted two trawl surveys, one before and one shortly after a rain event, in which debris and zooplankton density were compared at three depths in Santa Monica Bay, California. Density of debris was greatest near the bottom and least in midwater. Debris density increased after the storm, particularly at the sampling site closest to shore, reflecting inputs from land-based runoff. The mass of plastic in Santa Monica Bay exceeded that of zooplankton, though when the comparison was limited to plastics the size of zooplankton, zooplankton mass was three times that of debris.
Submitted to Marine Pollution Bulletin. G.L. Lattin, A. Zellers, C.J. Moore, S.L. Moore, S.B. Weisberg.
A comparison of plastic and plankton in the North Pacific central gyre
The potential for ingestion of plastic particles by open ocean filter feeders was assessed by measuring the relative abundance and mass of neustonic plastic and zooplankton near the central high-pressure area of the North Pacific central gyre. Neuston samples were collected at 11 random sites, using a manta trawl lined with 333 u mesh. The abundance and mass of neustonic plastic was the largest recorded in this area at 334,271 pieces/km2 and 5,114 g/km2, respectively. Plankton abundance was approximately five times higher than that of plastic, but the mass of plastic was approximately six times that of plankton. The most frequently sampled types of identifiable plastic were thin films and polypropylene/monofilament line. The most frequently sampled type of unidentified plastic was plastic fragments. Cumulatively, there three types accounted for 98% of the total plastic pieces.
Moore, C.J., S.L. Moore, M.K. Leecaster, and S.B. Weisberg. 2001. A Comparison of Plasticand Plankton in the North Pacific Central Gyre. Marine Pollution Bulletin. Vol 42, No 12:129-130.
Composition and distribution of beach debris in Orange County, California
Many studies have quantified the amount of debris collected along beach shoreline areas in various locations around the world. Only a few of those studies have been conducted in the United States, and they are largely limited to semi-quantitative efforts performed as part of volunteer clean-up activities. In this study, we quantified the distribution and types of beach debris by sampling 43 stratified random sites from Seal Beach to San Clemente on the Orange County, California, coast from August to September, 1998. An area of shoreline was delineated for each site that was 25 yards in length and extended from the water's edge to the first pavement or rocky cliff. All trash was collected by at least three people walking systematically along transects. In addition, a five-gallon bucket was used to sieve one bucket of sand at each site to collect and quantify the small items that were undetectable by visual examination. Based upon the survey data results, it was estimated that more than 106 million items, weighing approximately 13 tons, occur on Orange County shorelines. The most abundant items were pre-production plastic pellets, followed by foamed plastics and hard plastics. Debris density on the remote rocky shoreline was greater than that on high-use sandy beaches for most debris items. This finding partially reflects the periodic cleanup of high-use beaches by local municipalities, and also indicates that a high percentage of the observed debris was transported to the site from waterborne sources. The amount of Orange County beach debris estimated by this study is 50 times that (excluding pre-production plastic pellets) collected in the California Coastal Cleanup Day. The difference appears to be attributable to Cleanup Day's focus on large, visible debris at a subset of high-use beaches that are periodically cleaned by mechanical combers.