title: Floating Marine Debris in waters of the Mexican Central Pacific.
abstract: The presence of marine debris has been reported recently in several oceans basins; there is very little information available for Mexican Pacific coasts, however. This research examined the composition, possible sources, distribution, and density of Floating Marine Debris (FMD) during nine research surveys conducted during 2010-2012 in the Mexican Central Pacific (MCP). Of 1820 floating objects recorded, 80% were plastic items. Sources of FMD were determined using key objects, which indicated that the most were related to the presence of the industrial harbor and of a growing fishing industry in the study area. Densities were relatively high, ranging from 40 to 2440objects/km2; the highest densities were recorded in autumn. FMD were distributed near coastal regions, mainly in Jalisco, influenced by river outflow and surface currents. Our results seem to follow worldwide trends and highlight the need for further studies on potential ecological impacts within coastal waters of the MCP.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ciencias Marinas, Universidad de Colima, Km 20 Carr. Manzanillo-Barra de Navidad, C.P. 28860, Manzanillo, Col., Mexico.
authors.forename: Evelyn R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Díaz-Torres
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ciencias Marinas, Universidad de Colima, Km 20 Carr. Manzanillo-Barra de Navidad, C.P. 28860, Manzanillo, Col., Mexico. Electronic address: christian_ortega@ucol.mx.
authors.forename: Christian D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Ortega-Ortiz
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ciencias Marinas, Universidad de Colima, Km 20 Carr. Manzanillo-Barra de Navidad, C.P. 28860, Manzanillo, Col., Mexico.
authors.forename: Lidia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Silva-Iñiguez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de estudios para el desarrollo sustentable de zonas costeras-CUCSUR, Universidad de Guadalajara, Gómez Farías #82, San Patricio Melaque, Jal., Mexico.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nene-Preciado
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ciencias Marinas, Universidad de Colima, Km 20 Carr. Manzanillo-Barra de Navidad, C.P. 28860, Manzanillo, Col., Mexico.
authors.forename: Ernesto Torres
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Orozco
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D008800:Mexico; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D010969:Plastics; D014866:Waste Products; D014873:Water Pollutants; D014876:Water Pollution
chemical_list: D010969:Plastics; D014866:Waste Products; D014873:Water Pollutants
keywords: Composition; Density; Floating Marine Debris; Mexican Central Pacific; Plastic