Loading...
Exceptional and rapid accumulation of anthropogenic debris on one of the world’s most remote and pristine islands
Lavers, Jennifer L
Lavers, Jennifer L
Advisors
Editors
Other Contributors
Affiliation
EPub Date
Issue Date
2017-05-15
Submitted Date
Subject Terms
Collections
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Other Titles
Abstract
Significance: The isolation of remote islands has, until recently, afforded protection from most human activities. However, society’s increasing desire for plastic products has resulted in plastic becoming ubiquitous in the marine environment, where it persists for decades. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the quantity and source of beach-washed plastic debris on one of the world’s remotest islands. The density of debris was the highest recorded anywhere in the world, suggesting that remote islands close to oceanic plastic accumulation zones act as important sinks for some of the waste accumulated in these areas. As global plastic production continues to increase exponentially, it will further impact the exceptional natural beauty and biodiversity for which remote islands have been recognized.
Citation
J.L. Lavers, & A.L. Bond, Exceptional and rapid accumulation of anthropogenic debris on one of the world’s most remote and pristine islands, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 114 (23) 6052-6055, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1619818114 (2017).
Research Unit
PubMed ID
PubMed Central ID
Embedded videos
Type
Journal Article
Item Description
NHM Repository
Series/Report no.
ISSN
EISSN
1091-6490