Sandy beaches are one of the most relevant coastal environments in terms of socio-ecological and economical value. So, the presence and accumulation of plastic litter determines a degradation of these values, and calls for management actions for cleaning are required. In this research, we investigated the features of plastic litter distribution on a Mediterranean beach in relation to size and abundance of the sampled items. Simple allometric models were applied with the aim to provide a parsimonious tool for estimating the amount and sizes of the beach plastic litter. The results show effective relations between size and abundance of plastic items according to the power-law distribution. This relationship could support decision-makers to estimate the total amount of beach plastics through the application of a simple model instead of more complex models requiring the estimation of many parameters and the availability of large datasets.
Relationships between size and abundance in beach plastics: A power-law approach / Bozzeda F.; Zangaro F.; Colangelo M.A.; Pinna M.. - In: MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN. - ISSN 0025-326X. - STAMPA. - 173:Pt A(2021), pp. 113005.1-113005.10. [10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113005]
Relationships between size and abundance in beach plastics: A power-law approach
Colangelo M. A.;
2021
Abstract
Sandy beaches are one of the most relevant coastal environments in terms of socio-ecological and economical value. So, the presence and accumulation of plastic litter determines a degradation of these values, and calls for management actions for cleaning are required. In this research, we investigated the features of plastic litter distribution on a Mediterranean beach in relation to size and abundance of the sampled items. Simple allometric models were applied with the aim to provide a parsimonious tool for estimating the amount and sizes of the beach plastic litter. The results show effective relations between size and abundance of plastic items according to the power-law distribution. This relationship could support decision-makers to estimate the total amount of beach plastics through the application of a simple model instead of more complex models requiring the estimation of many parameters and the availability of large datasets.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.