title: Beach debris in the Azores (NE Atlantic): Faial Island as a first case study.
abstract: Marine debris is widely recognised as a global environmental problem. This study assesses density, type, and temporal trends of marine debris in two sandy beaches of Faial Island (Azores, NE-Atlantic). During seven months (six days per month) the beaches were surveyed by performing 10 random transects at each site. Recorded items within the range 2-30 cm were organised into seven categories. Densities of total debris varied from 0 to 1.940 items m(-2), with plastics dominating both areas. Both beaches, presented the highest debris abundance in February, most probably related to prevailing winds and swell. Location and/or time of year also seemed to influence the type of debris present. These findings provide new insights into debris accumulation rates in the Azores, where no previous studies were made. It also confirms the global trend of increased plastics accumulation on shorelines, highlighting the need for further research in remote islands.
authors.affiliation: CIBIO - Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Pólo dos Açores, Portugal; Departamento de Oceanografia e Pescas, Universidade dos Açores, Rua Prof. Dr. Frederico Machado, 9901-862 Horta, Portugal. Electronic address: catharina.pieper@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Catharina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pieper
authors.affiliation: CIBIO - Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Pólo dos Açores, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia, Universidade dos Açores, Rua da Mãe de Deus, 13A, 9501-801 Ponta Delgada, Portugal. Electronic address: mateus@uac.pt.
authors.forename: Maria A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ventura
authors.affiliation: CIBIO - Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Pólo dos Açores, Portugal; Departamento de Oceanografia e Pescas, Universidade dos Açores, Rua Prof. Dr. Frederico Machado, 9901-862 Horta, Portugal. Electronic address: anamartins@uac.pt.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: CIBIO - Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Pólo dos Açores, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia, Universidade dos Açores, Rua da Mãe de Deus, 13A, 9501-801 Ponta Delgada, Portugal. Electronic address: rcunha@uac.pt.
authors.forename: Regina T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Cunha
mesh_terms: D001394:Azores; D001493:Bathing Beaches; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D010969:Plastics / Q000032:analysis*; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D010969:Plastics; D014873:Water Pollutants; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Azores Archipelago; Marine pollution; Plastics; Remote islands; Solid waste