Plastic in the Surface waters of the Inside Passage and Salish Sea Beaches of Washington
Presentation Abstract
We summarize results of two independent studies on plastic pollution in the marine environment that overlap in time and space. One study evaluated the abundance of anthropogenic debris on 37 sandy beaches bordering the Salish Sea in Washington State while the other characterized plastic debris in surface waters of the Salish Sea and the Inside Passage to Skagway, Alaska. Both studies concluded that foam, primarily expanded polystyrene was the dominant pollutant. Plastic was found in surface waters the full length of the Inside Passage but was concentrated near harbors. At the wrack line, an average square meter of Washington’s 1180 km of sandy beaches in the Salish Sea had 61 pieces of anthropogenic debris weighing approximately 5 g. The total loading for the entire 1 m wide band is estimated to be 72,000,000 pieces and 5.8 metric tons. Most anthropogenic debris on beaches is generated within the region.
_ 2015 Elsevier Ltd.
Session Title
Plastic in the Salish Sea
Conference Track
Fate and Effects of Pollutants
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Plastic marine debris--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Plastic marine debris--Analysis; Marine debris--Environmental aspects--Analysis
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Washington (State)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Plastic in the Surface waters of the Inside Passage and Salish Sea Beaches of Washington
2016SSEC
We summarize results of two independent studies on plastic pollution in the marine environment that overlap in time and space. One study evaluated the abundance of anthropogenic debris on 37 sandy beaches bordering the Salish Sea in Washington State while the other characterized plastic debris in surface waters of the Salish Sea and the Inside Passage to Skagway, Alaska. Both studies concluded that foam, primarily expanded polystyrene was the dominant pollutant. Plastic was found in surface waters the full length of the Inside Passage but was concentrated near harbors. At the wrack line, an average square meter of Washington’s 1180 km of sandy beaches in the Salish Sea had 61 pieces of anthropogenic debris weighing approximately 5 g. The total loading for the entire 1 m wide band is estimated to be 72,000,000 pieces and 5.8 metric tons. Most anthropogenic debris on beaches is generated within the region.
_ 2015 Elsevier Ltd.
