Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Beach litter in Mediterranean coastal dunes: an insight on the Adriatic coast (central Italy)

  • Marine litter: from environmental emergency to potential resource
  • Published:
Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Beach litter is an increasingly important threat, causing a drastic loss of natural biodiversity and the associated ecosystem services. Even if beach litter accumulation in oceanic coasts has been analyzed quite well, new research efforts are still necessary to better understand this phenomenon along the Mediterranean coasts. This work sets out to analyze the sources of beach litter, the type of material, and the distribution and accumulation trend along the sandy coasts of the Adriatic Sea in central Italy (Abruzzo and Molise Regions, Italy). In particular, we focus on the following questions: (i) Which are the most frequent beach litter items and materials on sandy coasts? (ii) How is beach litter distributed on the different coastal dune habitats along the sea–inland gradient? Data were collected and categorized during spring 2014–2015 following the OSPAR guidelines in belts parallel to the shoreline and in transects perpendicular to the shoreline. Before analyzing litter abundance by classes of material, source types, and floating capacity, the spatial trends of waste accumulation along the dune zonation was also explored. Most of litter elements are in plastic, followed by styrofoam with good floating capacity. Majority of the debris derive from food packaging, fishing and recreational activities. The distribution of litter along the sea–land eco-morphological gradient is heterogeneous. The unequal accumulation amounts of debris on the upper beach, embryodunes, mobile dunes and fixed dunes threaten natural EC habitats in different ways. Our results stress the need of specific conservation and cleaning actions able to preserve the ecological value of EC coastal dune habitats.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

(profile form Bazzichetto et al. 2016 modified)

Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.

References

  • Acosta ATR and Ercole S (2015) Gli habitat delle coste sabbiose italiane: ecologia e problematiche di conservazione. ISPRA Series n° 215

  • Acosta ATR, Blasi C, Carranza ML, Ricotta C, Stanisci A (2003) Quantifying ecological mosaic connectivity and with a new topoecological index. Phytocoenologia 33(4):623–631

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Acosta ATR, Carranza ML, Izzi CF (2009) Are there habitats that contribute best to plant species diversity in coastal dunes? Biodivers Conserv 18:1087–1098

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arcangeli A, Campana I, Angeletti I, Carosso L (2017) Amount, composition, and spatial distribution of floating macro litter along fixed transborder transects in the Mediterranean Sea. Mar Pollut Bull Quatic Conserv 27:995–1010

    Google Scholar 

  • Bascom W (1980) Waves and beaches. Anchor Press/Doubleday Publishing, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Battisti C, Poeta G, Pietrelli L, Acosta ATR (2016) An unexpected consequence of plastic litter clean-up on beaches: too much sand might be removed. Environ Pract 18:242–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bazzichetto M, Malavasi M, Acosta ATR, Carranza ML (2016) How does dune morphology shape coastal dune EC-habitat distribution? A remote sensing approach using Airborne LiDAR in the Mediterranean coast. Ecol Indic 71:618–626

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benedict RA, Billeter MC (2004) Discarded bottles as a cause of mortality in small vertebrates. Southeast Nat 3:371–377

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berardo F, Carranza ML, Frate L, Stanisci A, Loy A (2015) Seasonal habitat preference by the flagship species Testudo hermanni: implications for the conservation of coastal dunes. C R Biol 338(5):343–350

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bravo M, Astudillo JC, Lancellotti D, Luna-Jorquera G, Valdivia N, Thiel M (2011) Rafting on abiotic substrata: properties of floating items and their influence on community succession. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 439:1–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carranza ML, Acosta ATR, Stanisci A, Pirone G, Ciaschetti G (2008) Ecosystem classification for EU habitat distribution assessment in sandy coastal environments: an application in central Italy. Environ Monit Assess 140:99–107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carranza ML, Drius M, Malavasi M, Frate L, Stanisci A, Acosta ATR (2018) Assessing land take and its effects on dune carbon pools. An insight into the Mediterranean coastline. Ecol Indic 85:951–955

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • CBD Technical Series (2012) Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel-GEF, 2012. Impacts of Marine Debris on Biodiversity: Current Status and Potential Solutions, Montreal, Technical Series No 67

  • Cheshire AC, Adler E, Barbière J, Cohen Y, Evans S, Jarayabhand S, Jeftic L, Jung RT, Kinsey S, Kusui ET, Lavine I, Manyara P, Oosterbaan L, Pereira MA, Sheavly S, Tkalin A, Varadarajan S, Wenneker B, Westphalen G (2009) UNEP/IOC Guidelines on Survey and Monitoring of Marine Litter. UNEP Regional Seas Reports and Studies no 186

  • do Sul JA, do Costa MF (2007) Marine Debris in the Wider Caribbean Region: from the 1970s until now, and where do we go from here? Mar Pollut Bull 54:1087–1104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doody JP (1997) Coastal dunes of Europe—recreational impacts and nature conservation. In: Drees JM (ed) Coastal dunes, recreation and planning. EUCC Services, Leiden, pp 50–59

    Google Scholar 

  • Doody JP (2013) Sand dune conservation, management and restoration. Coastal Research Library. Springer, Netherlands

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Drius M, Malavasi M, Acosta ATR, Ricotta C, Carranza ML (2013) Boundary-based analysis for the assessment of coastal dune landscape integrity over time. Appl Geogr 45:41–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drius M, Carranza ML, Stanisci A, Jones L (2016) The role of Italian coastal dunes as carbon sinks and diversity sources. A multi-service perspective. Appl Geogr 75:127–136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson C, Burton H, Fitch S, Schulz M, van den Hoff J (2013) Daily accumulation rates of marine debris on sub-Antarctic island beaches. Mar Pollut Bull 66:199–208

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Everard M, Jones L, Watts B (2010) Have we neglected the societal importance of sand dunes? An ecosystem services perspective. Aquatic conservation. Mar Freshw Ecosyst 20:476–487

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feola S, Carranza ML, Schaminée J, Janssen AM, Acosta ATR (2011) EU habitats of interest: an insight into Atlantic and Mediterranean beach and foredunes. Biodivers Conserv 20(7):1457–1468

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foresta M, Carranza ML, Garfì V, Di Febbraro M, Marchetti M, Loy A (2016) A systematic conservation planning approach to fire risk management in Natura 2000 sites. J Environ Manag 181:574–581

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galani F, Hanke G, Maes R (2015) Global distribution, composition and abundance of marine litter. In: Bergmann M, Gutow L, Klages M (eds) Marine anthropogenic litter. Springer, Cham, pp 29–56

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hamasaki K, Fujikawa S, Iizuka C, Sanda T, Tsuru T, Imai H, Kitada S (2017) Recruitment to adult habitats in terrestrial hermit crabs on the coast of Ishigakijima Island, Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. Invertebr Biol 137(1):3–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hesp PA, Martınez ML (2007) Disturbance processes and dynamics in coastal dunes. In: Johnson EA, Miyanishi K (eds) Plant disturbance ecology: the process and the response. Academic Press, Elsevier, pp 215–247

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Izzi CF, Acosta ATR, Carranza ML, Conti F, Ciaschetti G, Di Martino L, D’Orazio G, Frattaroli AR, Pirone G, Stanisci A (2007) Il censimento della flora vascolare degli ambienti dunali costieri dell’Italia centrale. Fitosociol 44(1):129–137

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones MLM, Angus S, Cooper A, Doody P, Everard M, Garbutt A, Gilchrist P, Hansom G, Nicholls R, Pye K, Ravenscroft N, Rees S, Rhind P, Whitehouse A (2011) Coastal margins. UK National Ecosystem Assessment. Understanding nature’s value to society. Technical Report. UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge, pp 411–457

    Google Scholar 

  • Kühn S, Bravo Rebolledo EL, van Franeker JA (2015) Deleterious effects of litter on marine life. In: Bergmann M, Gutow L, Klages M (eds) Marine anthropogenic litter. Springer, Cham, pp 75–116

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Lippiatt S, Opfer S, Arthur C (2013) Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS-OR&R-46

  • Malavasi M, Santoro R, Cutini M, Acosta ATR, Carranza ML (2013) Multitemporal analyses of coastal dune landscapes in Central Italy: what has happened in the last 60 years? Landsc Urban Plan 119:54–63

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) Ecosystems and human well-being: wetlands and water. Synthesis, World Resources Institute, Washington, DC

  • Munari C, Corbau C, Simeoni U, Mistri M (2016) Marine litter on Mediterranean shores: analysis of composition, spatial distribution and sources in north-western Adriatic beaches. Waste Manage 49:483–490

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poeta G, Battisti C, Acosta ATR (2015a) Marine litter in Mediterranean sandy littorals: spatial distribution patterns along central Italy coastal dunes. Mar Pollut Bull 89(1):168–173

    Google Scholar 

  • Poeta G, Romiti F, Battisti C (2015b) Discarded bottles in sandy coastal dunes as threat for macro-invertebrate populations: first evidence of a trap effect. Vie Milieu 65(3):125–127

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan PG (2015) A brief history of marine litter research. In: Bergmann M, Gutow L, Klages M (eds) Marine anthropogenic litter. Springer, Cham, pp 1–25

    Google Scholar 

  • Santoro R, Carboni M, Carranza ML, Acosta ATR (2012) Focal species diversity patterns can provide diagnostic information on plant invasions. J Nat Conserv. 20(2):85–91

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schlacher T, Dugan J, Schoeman DS, Lastra M, Jones A, Scapini F, McLachlan A, Defeo O (2007) Sandy beaches at the brink. Divers Distrib 13(5):556–560

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stanisci A, Acosta A, Carranza ML, Feola S, Giuliano M (2007) Gli habitat di interesse comunitario sul litorale molisano e il loro valore naturalistico su base floristica. Plant Sociol 44:171–175

    Google Scholar 

  • Stanisci A, Acosta ATR, Carranza ML, de Chiro M, Del Vecchio S, Di Martino L, Frattaroli AR, Fusco S, Izzi CF, Pirone G, Prisco I (2014) EU habitats monitoring along the coastal dunes of the LTER sites of Abruzzo and Molise (Italy). Plant Sociol 51(1):51–56

    Google Scholar 

  • van der Maarel E (2003) Some remarks on the functions of European coastal ecosystems. Phytocoenologia 33:187–202

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams PW (1992) Tourism and the environment: no place to hide. World Leisure Recreation 34:13–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/10261133.1992.9673811

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams AT, Tudor DT (2001) Litter burial exhumation: spatial and temporal distribution on a cobble pocket beach. Mar Pollut Bull 42:1031–1039

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wright SL, Thompson RC, Galloway TS (2013) The physical impacts of microplastics on marine organisms: a review. Environ Pollut 178:483–492

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Dr. Simona Cappiello for helping in data collection and Alessia Felizzi, responsible for Natural Reserve of Punta Aderci in Vasto (Abruzzo). Moreover, a special thanks to anonymous reviewers for their help in improving the first version of the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. EnvixLab, Dep. Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, 86039, Termoli, CB, Italy

    Maria Carla de Francesco

  2. EnviX-Lab, Department of Bioscience and Territory, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090, Pesche, IS, Italy

    Maria Laura Carranza & Angela Stanisci

Authors
  1. Maria Carla de Francesco
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Maria Laura Carranza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Angela Stanisci
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria Laura Carranza.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

de Francesco, M.C., Carranza, M.L. & Stanisci, A. Beach litter in Mediterranean coastal dunes: an insight on the Adriatic coast (central Italy). Rend. Fis. Acc. Lincei 29, 825–830 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-018-0740-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-018-0740-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation