Description: Beaches on remote Arctic islands may be sinks for marine litter and reflect pollution levels of the surrounding waters particularly well. We provide the first quantitative data from surveys carried out by citizen scientists on six beaches of northern Svalbard. Litter quantities recorded by cruise tourists varied from 9-524 g m-2 and were similar to those from densely populated areas. Plastics accounted for 〉80% of the overall litter, most of which originated from fisheries. Our study highlights the potential of citizen scientists to provide scientifically valuable data on the pollution of sensitive remote ecosystems. The results stress once more that current legislative frameworks are insufficient to tackle the pollution of Arctic ecosystems.

Description: Die Belastung der Meere und Ozeane mit Müll ist ein Umweltproblem globalen Ausmaßes. Seit der Entdeckung der Müllwirbel und des Mikroplastiks (Kunststoffpartikel 〈 5mm) ist diese Thematik wieder stark in den öffentlichen Fokus gerückt. Den mit Abstand größten Anteil des Mülls in den Meeren bilden langlebige Kunststoffe, deren jährliche Produktion inzwischen auf weltweit 322 Millionen Tonnen angestiegen ist. Es wird prognostiziert, dass der jährliche globale Eintrag von landbasiertem Kunststoffmüll von rund 8 Millionen Tonnen im Jahr 2010 auf bis zu 250 Millionen Tonnen im Jahr 2025 ansteigen wird. Dennoch verzeichneten die meisten der wenigen bestehenden Zeitreihen bislang keinen eindeutigen Anstieg über die Zeit von Müll im Meer. Seit 1999 betreibt das AWI Langzeituntersuchungen am Tiefsee-Observatorium HAUSGARTEN zwischen Grönland und Spitzbergen. Regelmäßig wiederholte Aufnahmen mit einer geschleppten Kamera in zeigten, dass der Müll am Meeresboden im Zeitraum zwischen 2002 und 2014 stark angestiegen ist. Damit ähnelt die Belastung in der Arktis der Mülldichte vergleichbarer Regionen in der Nähe von europäischen Ballungszentren. Auch an der Meeresoberfläche wurde treibender Müll und Mikroplastik entdeckt. An den Stränden Spitzbergens wird von Touristen mittlerweile nicht mehr nur die beeindruckende Aussicht genossen, sondern angeschwemmter Müll eingesammelt. Bereits über 80% der Eissturmvögel Spitzbergens verzehren heute Plastikmüll. Aus diesen Erkenntnissen heraus wurde das FRAM Pollution Observatory etabliert. In diesem Rahmen wird die Belastung von Müll / Mikroplastik im Meereis und Schnee, an der Meeresoberfläche, in der Wassersäule und Tiefsee-Sedimenten sowie an arktischen Stränden untersucht. In diesem Vortrag wird ein erster Ausschnitt der bisherigen Ergebnisse gezeigt und die Ursachen diskutiert. Bereits jetzt steht fest, dass das fragile Arktische Ökosystem parallel zum Klimawandel einem weiterem Umweltproblem ausgesetzt ist. Effektive Lösungen können nur durch grundlegende Veränderungen in unserem Verbrauch und Umgang mit Kunststoff auf internationaler Ebene herbeigeführt werden.

Description: The concept of the marine ecological community has recently experienced renewed attention, mainly owing to a shift in conservation policies from targeting single and specific objec- tives (e.g. species) towards more integrated approaches. Despite the value of communities as dis- tinct entities, e.g. for conservation purposes, there is still an ongoing debate on the nature of spe- cies associations. They are seen either as communities, cohesive units of non-randomly associated and interacting members, or as assemblages, groups of species that are randomly associated. We investigated such dualism using fuzzy logic applied to a large dataset in the German Bight (south- eastern North Sea). Fuzzy logic provides the flexibility needed to describe complex patterns of natural systems. Assigning objects to more than one class, it enables the depiction of transitions, avoiding the rigid division into communities or assemblages. Therefore we identified areas with either structured or random species associations and mapped boundaries between communities or assemblages in this more natural way. We then described the impact of the chosen sampling design on the community identification. Four communities, their core areas and probability of occurrence were identified in the German Bight: AMPHIURA-FILIFORMIS, BATHYPOREIA-TELLINA, GONIADELLA-SPISULA, and PHORONIS. They were assessed by estimating overlap and compactness and supported by analysis of beta-diversity. Overall, 62% of the study area was characterized by high species turnover and instability. These areas are very relevant for conservation issues, but become undetectable when studies choose sampling designs with little information or at small spatial scales.

Description: Vast quantities of plastics are accumulating in the oceans. At sea, plastics interact with marine biota often with deleterious consequences for organisms and habitats. As users of marine food resources and ecosystem services humans are also affected by marine plastic litter. Economic, social and health implications necessitate decisive action to manage this growing environmental problem at a global scale. Accordingly, legislative and technological instruments have been implemented to reduce the amounts of marine plastic debris. Promising strategies to reduce the human plastic footprint in the oceans must involve the minimization of plastic discharges into the marine environment.

Description: For many years, the pollution of the oceans with marine litter received only little attention from the public although the global plastic production has grown steadily. However, since the “discovery” of the oceanic garbage patches and microplastics the littering of the oceans has become a hot topic, which is reflected in strong recent increases in the number of publications. Despite growing research efforts many questions remain unanswered and the new wealth of information does not readily transpire to the general public, which is left unsettled. For example, it is still unclear what the overall extent of ocean pollution is, or how the enormous amounts of oceanic plastics affect marine life and ecosystems. To overcome this uncertainty and make best use of the existing knowledge, we currently develop an online portal for marine litter and microplastic pollution named LITTERBASE. As of early 2017, LITTERBASE will provide access to the current state of understanding of marine litter and microplastics to the general public and stakeholders. Published records of marine litter and microplastics and their impact on marine life will be compiled in a database. The regularly updated information will be displayed in distribution maps and other graphs in an interactive online portal. In the long run, data from citizen scientists may also be integrated into these infographs.