The OGS, as coordinator of EMODnet Chemistry, have contributed to the paper “Out of sight, but not out of mind: Key issues regarding seafloor macrolitter monitoring”. The paper was authored by the EC Joint Research Centre and co-authored by renowned universities, research and monitoring centres worldwide. They highlight the importance of collecting quality data to quantify marine litter on the seafloor, that is out-of- sight but should not be out of mind. The authors recommend that the seafloor surveys follow key recommendations on site and platform selection, image acquisition and data management.
It is common knowledge that a significant proportion of marine litter accumulates on the seafloor. This affects not only the resident biota but also the entire marine trophic web when the litter breaks up. “Out of sight, but not out of mind: Key issues regarding seafloor macrolitter monitoring” is the title of the latest publication authored by the EC Joint Research Centre, OGS and a wide range of universities, research institutions, and monitoring bodies in European countries and beyond, including the USA, Saudia Arabia and China. The OGS, as coordinator of EMODnet Chemistry, was privileged to participate in this work as it plays a consolidated role as data manager for marine litter in close co-operation with the Technical Working Group on Marine Litter under the Common Implementation Strategy of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The paper emphasises the urgent need for a global ocean monitoring system, including for the seafloor area, which comprises a variety of ecosystems that fulfil important ecosystem functions. As called for by the authors, harmonised, agreed and comparable methods and data management should be the cornerstone of future surveys around the world. In this regard, the work provides whoever is involved in collecting seafloor litter data with key recommendations to produce comparable and reliable data. The recommendations concern site and platform selection, image acquisition and data management. In short, the selection of sites and the strategy for new surveys should be guided by the questions and objectives set out in national, regional and international agreements and legislation such as the UN Plan of Implementation for the Decade of Sustainable Development for Ocean Science. The authors recommend training and capacity building for the use of non-destructive methods to collect data on the distribution, abundance, types and size ranges of litter in marine habitats. They also point out the importance of optimising resources by using surveys for environmental, industrial and exploration purposes to monitor litter accumulation on the seafloor. It is also recommended to ensure global data management, considering regional developments such as EMODnet, which has proven over the years that a good database is crucial for defining and evaluating the effectiveness of measures to tackle litter pollution.
Since 2017, EMODnet Chemistry has been collaborating with TGML to develop a database management system (DBMS) for data on macro-litter along the coast, on the seafloor from trawlings and micro-litter on the sea surface and in marine sediment. In recent years, we have worked together to extend the DBMS to include data on seafloor litter from images and videos. EMODnet Chemistry experts played a key role, bringing EMODnet good practices including a template for data providers to use to ensure that the data are findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. The guidelines describing this data workflow will be published shortly.
Alessandra Giorgetti, EMODnet Chemistry Coordinator (National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics – OGS)
In this context, find out more about the latest use of the first pan-European marine litter database developed by EMODnet Chemistry in this news item on the OGS website. Want to learn all about this topic? Dive into the EMODnet Chemistry use cases section.
Litter (plastic bottles, bags and other) accumulated on the seafloor © François Galgani, IFREMER
