Plastic Pollution: Addressing Societal Challenges at the Land-Sea Interface Area
Interview blog
“Plastic pollution is one of the major problems of river-sea systems worldwide. However, the Danube is unique in its complexity. It flows through 11 countries and its drainage basin covers 19 states, requiring international collaboration for effective solutions.”
Dr. Irina Stanciu and Dr. Adrian Stanica of the Romanian National Institute for Research and Development for Marine Geology and Geo-ecology (GeoEcoMar) describe one of the key challenges facing the Danube Delta and surrounding areas. Irina and Adrian are coordinating the Danube Delta and coastal area LandSeaLot Integration Lab (LIL), one of nine labs studying the land-sea interface area to address pressing social and scientific challenges within the LandSeaLot project.
We spoke with them about plastic pollution, why observing the land-sea interface area is essential to understanding and addressing this complex problem, and how the public can get involved.
Understanding pollution at the land-sea interface area
- Rivers like the Danube act as pollution pathways, transporting plastic waste from land and sewer systems into deltas, estuaries, coasts and the ocean
- Observing the land-sea interface area can help us understand and address this problem holistically by tracking these pathways from land to sea
- As part of the LandSeaLot project, the Danube Delta and coastal area Integration Lab is observing, mapping, analysing and predicting pollution patterns and hotspots
- These observation efforts will provide crucial data to stakeholders and policymakers and support local and regional mitigation
Plastics are everywhere in society, but they’ve also become pervasive in nature. How does plastic pollution threaten human and environmental health?
Plastics persist for hundreds of years, breaking down into microplastics that contaminate the food we eat and the water we drink. Their sources are numerous, from packaging to textiles to pharmaceuticals.
Water transports plastic waste through sewage systems that are not equipped to deal with them, then carries them through waterways like lakes, rivers and deltas and into the ocean. Animals ingest or get entangled in plastics, disrupting ecosystems and contaminating the food chain.
Economically, plastic pollution impacts fisheries, tourism, and coastal infrastructure. And the long lifespan of plastics means these problems will persist for generations.
Explore the lifecycles of plastic in this short video
How is this surge of plastics into the ecosystem affecting the Danube Delta and coastal area?
The Danube transports plastic litter, waste and microplastics into the Black Sea, acting as a pollution highway. During floods, overwhelmed waste management systems release large quantities of plastics into the river. These challenges reflect global patterns of pollution, waste mismanagement and habitat disruption.
How will the research being conducted in the Danube Delta and coastal area LandSeaLot Integration Lab help us better understand and mitigate these threats?
LandSeaLot is mapping and analysing plastic pollution pathways from the land to the sea, as well as the presence of plastic in coastal sediments. We’re developing models to predict plastic dispersal in rivers and marine environments. Later in the project, we’ll provide relevant data to stakeholders that will support local and regional mitigation efforts.
A distinctive feature of the LandSeaLot project is this approach to plastic pollution as a cross-system challenge, from land to sea. LandSeaLot takes a holistic approach, which seeks to integrate, scale up and enhance existing observation efforts, including the work of citizen scientists. Here at the Danube Delta and coastal area LIL, for example, we intend to collaborate with local citizen science groups who have long been collecting plastics and organising beach clean-ups.
How might these new, collaborative observation efforts influence policy?
We hope to highlight the sources and hotspots of plastic pollution for targeted intervention, and to generate policy recommendations that foster international collaboration on coastal pollution from river sources. We also want to support educational initiatives and raise public awareness.
When we hear about plastic overwhelming our waterways, it can feel like an insurmountable challenge. What are some concrete steps we can all take to combat plastic pollution?
People can make a real difference by opting for reusable items over single-use plastics, by segregating and recycling their waste and by supporting activities like sustainable fishing. They can also check current proposals to deal with plastic waste in their localities. At the moment, there are entire industries that generate plastic (such as the textile industry) with no strong regulations in place. I’d also encourage them to join local clean-up initiatives, and to have conversations with the people around them – including children and youth – about this urgent issue
Understand how your area deals with plastic using this tool
Help combat plastic pollution! Join groups like Plastic Pirates or Ocean Initiatives, or check out local clean-ups
Pollution is one of several challenges facing the land-sea interface area that LandSeaLot will address, along with assessing carbon fluxes and marine carbon stocks and prediction and adaptation to climate change threats. For more information on the stakeholders engaged in co-designing a Common Observation Strategy for the Land-Sea Interface Area and opportunities to contribute, visit our community forum here.
For project updates and stories, subscribe to our newsletter.
Comments are closed