Debris in The Mediterranean Sea: Types, Quantities, and Behavior

Abstract

The Mediterranean Sea, which occupies some 2.5 million km2, is an enclosed sea with only one opening for water exchange, the 14-km-wide Strait of Gibraltar. In the strait, surface water flows into the Mediterranean Sea and deeper water flows out. The water exchange rate of the Mediterranean is estimated to be 80 years. The sea is bordered by 18 countries, where more than 135 million people inhabit its coastal regions (Blue Plan 1987). The northwestern shores of the sea are heavily populated and highly urbanized, although its southern coast is sparsely populated. Major shipping lanes are found in the Mediterranean, with oil as probably the most important cargo. These physical and demographic conditions of the Mediterranean Sea make it a trap for marine- and land-derived litter.