Quantification and Classification of Beach Litter in Montenegro (South-East Adriatic Sea)

Abstract

Marine pollution affects the changes in the physical and chemical characteristics of the sea and the ocean, biological communities, and the overall health of the marine ecosystem. Measures to control pollution, prevention, and improvement of conditions are essential to preserve the state of the sea and they represent one of the greatest challenges of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). This paper presents results of the monitoring activities of two beaches on Montenegrin coast conducted during three seasons (autumn 2018, winter 2018, and spring 2019). Obtained results indicate a fairly high level of beaches pollution by solid waste during all investigated seasons. Average abundance of marine litter was estimated to be 0.35 items/m2 and 0.85 items/m2 on Jaz and Blatna beach, respectively. According to Clean Coastal Index (CCI) Jaz beach belongs to moderately clean beaches (average CCI = 7), while Blatna beach belongs to dirty beaches (average CCI = 17.14). The largest percentage share of marine litter belongs to artificial polymer materials (APM) on both beaches with cumulative percentage of 90.6% and 79.11% of total litter on Jaz and Blatna beach, respectively. Comparative data with similar research in the Adriatic-Ionian region suggest there is a growing trend of the amount of marine litter on beaches.