Strategies for Response and Mitigation of Marine Environmental Damage Caused by Plastic Debris
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- 해양환경안전학회지
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- 제27권3호
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- pp.439-446
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- 2021
Environmental damage caused by marine plastic debris occurs and has become a major contributor to marine pollution. This study analyzed the current state of marine plastic debris pollution and proposed essential strategies to reduce damage. To assess the current state of pollution arising from marine plastic debris, this study investigated the properties of plastic debris, reviewed case studies of ecological impacts, and examined the inflow and distribution of marine plastic debris. The results of this study indicate that the major deleterious effects of marine plastics are entanglement and ingestion. In addition, the amount of plastic waste entering the sea was estimated to be 230 Mt in 2015 and may increase to 554 Mt in 2050. In this study, three key strategies were proposed to reduce damage and preserve the ecosystem, including: 1) removing plastic debris in the marine environment, 2) limiting the release of plastic debris to the marine environment, and 3) preventing damage to humans and marine life from plastic debris. To minimize the environmental damage caused by marine plastic debris, the proposed response strategies should be implemented in parallel.
When considering marine pollution control procedures there are three general areas which demand close attention. These are:
Marine accidents involving the entanglement of marine litter have continued to increase, with over 300 to 400 cases per year according to the statistical agency. Entanglement of marine litter may also lead to large-scale marine accidents which cause capsizing and sinking, thereby further causing detrimental casualties and material damages, and thus exceptional attention and care are required. In this study, Incheon, Busan, and Geoje and Tongyeong were found to be the high-frequency locations for accidents, which were selected by considering the ArcGIS analysis about the marine accidents of entanglement of marine litter and the occurrence frequency by the standard. The characteristics of the multiple accident areas involving entanglement of marine litter were the coastal cities where fishing facilities or marine leisure related conditions were activated, with the port which handles much of the traffic of outbound and inbound vessels located nearby. Marine plastic pollution impacts not only the marine ecosystem and food chain, but also the hull and engine of ships, and may further pose threats to the safety of vessels and crews. It is necessary to find a common link between the relevant areas and to strive to remove the root causes of marine accidents by reducing marine litter.
In order to analyze the pollution characteristics of small plastic debris(SPD) ashore on the shoreline of coastal flow, 12 times of survey were conducted on the Gwanganri beach of Busan for nearly 3 years. The sampled stations on the beach were divided into 11 squared survey sites from St. G1 to G11(see [Fig. 1]) and all of SPD was sorted into 11 items like P1 to P11 according to the kind of plastic materials and products(see