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Emission, Transport and Retention of Floating Marine Macro-Litter (Plastics): The Role of Baltic Harbor and Sailing Festivals

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  • Gerald Schernewski

    (Coastal & Marine Management Group, Leibniz-Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Seestrasse 15, D-18119 Rostock, Germany
    Marine Research Institute, Klaipeda University, Universiteto Ave. 17, LT-92294 Klaipeda, Lithuania)

  • Gabriela Escobar Sánchez

    (Coastal & Marine Management Group, Leibniz-Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Seestrasse 15, D-18119 Rostock, Germany
    Marine Research Institute, Klaipeda University, Universiteto Ave. 17, LT-92294 Klaipeda, Lithuania)

  • Stefanie Felsing

    (Landesforschungsanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Fischerei Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Dorfplatz 1, D-18276 Gülzow-Prüzen, Germany)

  • Margaux Gatel Rebours

    (Coastal & Marine Management Group, Leibniz-Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Seestrasse 15, D-18119 Rostock, Germany)

  • Mirco Haseler

    (Coastal & Marine Management Group, Leibniz-Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Seestrasse 15, D-18119 Rostock, Germany)

  • Rahel Hauk

    (Hydrology and Environmental Hydraulics Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, NL-6708 Wageningen, The Netherlands)

  • Xaver Lange

    (Department of Physical Oceanography and Instrumentation, Leibniz-Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Seestrasse 15, D-18119 Rostock-Warnemünde, Germany)

  • Sarah Piehl

    (Coastal & Marine Management Group, Leibniz-Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Seestrasse 15, D-18119 Rostock, Germany)

Abstract

Every year, harbor and sailing festivals attract close to 20 million visitors in the Baltic Sea region, but their consequences on marine litter pollution are still unknown. We combine field studies with model simulations and literature reviews to quantify the annual emissions of floating macro-litter and to assess its retention in estuaries and role in Baltic Sea pollution. Results focusing on Hanse Sail in Rostock and Kiel Week are extrapolated to the entire Baltic Sea region. After the Hanse Sail 2018, the harbor pollution amounted to about 950 floating macro-litter particles/km²; 85–90% were plastics. We calculated an emission between 0.24 and 3 particles per 1000 visitors, depending on the year and the waste management system. About 0.02% of all waste generated during a festival ends up in the harbor water. The Hanse Sails contributes less than 1% to the total annual macro-litter emissions in the Warnow estuary. Model simulations indicate that over 99% of the emitted litter is trapped in the estuary. Therefore, Hanse Sails are not relevant to Baltic Sea pollution. The extrapolated Baltic-Sea-wide annual emissions are between 4466 and (more likely) 55,830 macro-litter particles. The over-30 harbor and sailing festivals contribute an estimated <0.05% to the total annual macro-litter emissions in the Baltic Sea region.

Suggested Citation

  • Gerald Schernewski & Gabriela Escobar Sánchez & Stefanie Felsing & Margaux Gatel Rebours & Mirco Haseler & Rahel Hauk & Xaver Lange & Sarah Piehl, 2024. "Emission, Transport and Retention of Floating Marine Macro-Litter (Plastics): The Role of Baltic Harbor and Sailing Festivals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-22, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:3:p:1220-:d:1330861
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    Cited by:

    1. Zihui Han & Xiangcheng Zhu & Zhenqing Su, 2024. "Forecasting Maritime and Financial Market Trends: Leveraging CNN-LSTM Models for Sustainable Shipping and China’s Financial Market Integration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-24, November.

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