Marine Litter

“The Litter is a Whole New Dimension”

AWI biologist Lars Gutow shares insights into his expeditions to the North Sea and Sargasso Sea, where he investigated how marine litter is spreading
Pathways of litter into the ocean

Plastic litter is present in large amounts in practically all the oceans. But where does all the litter come from, anyway? And how does it end up in the sea? This infographic shows the pathway of the litter into the world's oceans and the consequences that litter can have there
Using Expertise to Combat Marine Litter

The expertise of the AWI researchers is not just of interest to the scientific community and the media. Their advice is increasingly sought after among governmental authorities and political decision-makers
Free download: book about marine litter

AWI scientists published a book about marine litter. You can download it free of charge.

Compact knowledge

10 Questions, 10 Answers

These ten questions and answers sum up the current knowledge about marine litter

Arctic

In Every Nook and Cranny

AWI researcher Melanie Bergmann analyses the level of pollution on the ocean floor of the Arctic

Analysis with high-tech equipment

Tracking down microplastic

AWI researcher Gunnar Gerdts is working to gauge the extent of the pollution in arctic sea ice

Gallery

Microplastics: A truly colourful pile

Scientists define microplastics as collection of small and large fragments, pellets, fibers, sheets, and other objects smaller than five millimeters. They come in different shapes and colors - a diversity that it actually breathtaking, as this gallery shows.

The photos are provided by our colleagues from the Chesapeake Bay Program. The images were taken by Will Parson at the laboratory of Dr. Lance Yonkos in the Department of Environmental Science & Technology at the University of Maryland. Find more images on the Chesapeake Bay Program Flickr page.

News

Microplastic

AWI researchers measure a record concentration of microplastic in arctic sea ice

Experts at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), have recently found higher amounts of microplastic in arctic sea ice than ever before. However, the majority of particles were microscopically small. The ice samples from five regions throughout the Arctic Ocean contained up to 12,000 microplastic particles per litre of sea ice. Further, the different types of plastic showed a unique footprint in the ice allowing the researchers to trace them back to possible sources. This involves the massive garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean, while in turn, the high percentage of paint and nylon

Microplastics

From River Weser to the North Sea

Around the globe, the pollution of rivers, lakes and seas with plastic litter is on the rise. A new project jointly coordinated by the University of Bayreuth and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) is the first to approach the problem from a holistic perspective. In the model region Weser – Wadden Sea National Park the participating researchers will use e.g. empirical and model-assisted analyses to discover how minute plastic particles (microplastics) make their way from land to sea, which input and transport routes are involved (and to which extent), and what risks this contamination

From Pole to Pole

Litter is present throughout the world’s oceans: 1,220 species affected

Where is marine litter concentrated, and which species and ecosystems does it affect? Researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute have for the first time compiled all scientific data published on marine litter in a single, comprehensive database, now accessible from the online portal AWI Litterbase (www.litterbase.org).