title: Spatial pattern and weight of seabed marine litter in the northern and central Adriatic Sea.
abstract: The present study analyzes spatial distribution and typology of marine litter on the seabed in the FAO Geographical Sub-Area 17 (northern and central Adriatic Sea). Two surveys were conducted during fall 2011 and 2012 and 67 stations were sampled each year. Litter items were collected using the "rapido" trawl, a modified beam trawl commonly used by the Italian fishermen to catch flat fish and other benthic species. Marine litter in the catches was sorted and classified in 6 major categories (plastic, metal, glass, rubber, wood, other). Plastic litter was further subdivided in 3 sub-categories based on its source: fishing nets, aquaculture nets and other. Plastic was dominant in terms of weight followed by metal and other categories. The highest concentration of litter was found close to the coast likely as a consequence of high coastal urbanization, river inflow and extensive navigation associated with the morphological and hydrological features of the basin.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Scienze Marine (ISMAR), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), L.go Fiera della Pesca, 2, 60125 Ancona, Italy. Electronic address: pierluigi.strafella@an.ismar.cnr.it.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Strafella
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Scienze Marine (ISMAR), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), L.go Fiera della Pesca, 2, 60125 Ancona, Italy. Electronic address: g.fabi@ismar.cnr.it.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fabi
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Scienze Marine (ISMAR), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), L.go Fiera della Pesca, 2, 60125 Ancona, Italy. Electronic address: a.spagnolo@ismar.cnr.it.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spagnolo
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Scienze Marine (ISMAR), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), L.go Fiera della Pesca, 2, 60125 Ancona, Italy. Electronic address: f.grati@ismar.cnr.it.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grati
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Scienze Marine (ISMAR), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), L.go Fiera della Pesca, 2, 60125 Ancona, Italy. Electronic address: piero.polidori@an.ismar.cnr.it.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Polidori
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Scienze Marine (ISMAR), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), L.go Fiera della Pesca, 2, 60125 Ancona, Italy. Electronic address: elisa.punzo@an.ismar.cnr.it.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Punzo
authors.affiliation: Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), Loc. Brondolo, 30015 Chioggia, Italy. Electronic address: tomaso.fortibuoni@isprambiente.it.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fortibuoni
authors.affiliation: Fisheries Research Institute of Slovenia (FRIS), Sp. Gameljne 61a, 1211 Ljubljana-Šmartno, Slovenia. Electronic address: Bojan.Marceta@zzrs.si.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marceta
authors.affiliation: Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), Loc. Brondolo, 30015 Chioggia, Italy. Electronic address: sasa.raicevich@isprambiente.it.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Raicevich
authors.affiliation: Institut za Oceanografiju i Ribarstvo (IOF), Šetalište I. Meštrovića 63, 21000 Split, Croatia. Electronic address: cvite@izor.hr.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cvitkovic
authors.affiliation: Institut za Oceanografiju i Ribarstvo (IOF), Šetalište I. Meštrovića 63, 21000 Split, Croatia. Electronic address: mare@izor.hr.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Despalatovic
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Scienze Marine (ISMAR), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), L.go Fiera della Pesca, 2, 60125 Ancona, Italy. Electronic address: g.scarcella@ismar.cnr.it.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scarcella
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005843:Geography; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D008670:Metals / Q000032:analysis; D010969:Plastics / Q000032:analysis; D014866:Waste Products / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D008670:Metals; D010969:Plastics; D014866:Waste Products
keywords: Adriatic Sea; Marine litter; Monitoring; Rapido trawl; SOLEMON; Seabed