‘Deadly’ marine plastic hotspots revealed
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Scientists are calling for urgent global action to address the escalating issue of marine plastic pollution, as a recent study identified deadly ocean hotspots.
By Yasmin Dahnoun
Scientists have revealed areas of the ocean where some of the world’s most threatened seabirds face the highest risk from potentially deadly plastics.
Seabirds often mistake small plastic fragments floating on the surface of the water for food, or ingest plastic that has already been eaten by their prey. Ingesting small fragments can lead to poisoning, internal injuries, and starvation for seabirds.
The 26-year study assessed the movements of 7,137 individual birds from 77 species of petrel, including Critically Endangered species such as the Balearic shearwater. Petrels are an understudied but vulnerable group of marine birds that play a key role in oceanic food webs.
The breadth of their distribution across the whole ocean makes them important ‘sentinel species’ – an early warning of broad threats to spec...
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