An Assessment of Sea Surface and Seabed Macro Plastic Density in Northeastern Mediterranean Sea

Increasing plastic usage pose a significant threat to the marine environment. Many studies have been conducted to examine the amount and environmental impacts of plastic waste across the world. This study was carried out to investigate the density and quality of plastics on the sea surface and seabed of İskenderun Bay. 35 different seabed sampling and 25 different sea surface sampling were conducted by using İskenderun Technical University R/V ISTE-1 vessel. A total of 1 661 581 m² and 465 511 m² swept from the seabed and sea surface were scanned, respectively. As a result of these scans, the amount of plastic waste density per unit area of the seabed was found as 0.126 g / m² ± 0.011 (p: 0.95), and the amount of plastic waste density per unit area of sea surface was calculated as 0.052 gr ± 0.011 (p: 0.95). Scuba dives conducted in river mouths showed plastic deposition pits at the seabed. Major surface current systems and dominant southern winds were found to be effective in the sea surface distribution of plastic materials.