The characteristics and distribution of plastic particles at the sea-surface off the southwestern Cape Province, South Africa

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Abstract

The abundance, characteristics and distribution of plastic particles at the sea-surface off the southwestern Cape Province, South Africa, is described from 1224 neuston trawls made between August 1977 and August 1978. Mean plastic density was 3640 particles km−2 and 42·4 g km−2, but variances were great. Foamed plastics and fragments of manufactured articles were the most abundant items, but industrial pellets accounted for most of the mass. The majority of fragments, fibres and foamed plastic particles were small (< 1·0 mg) The dispersion of particles at sea was clustered, presumably at convergence zones, over small areas. Averaging numbers collected over larger areas provided temporal and spatial patterns of distribution which could be explained in terms of the source areas, transport mechanisms and life span of the particles. The Agulhas Current appears to be a major source of plastic pollution to the seas off the southwestern Cape.

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