Plastic pollution along Mediterranean coasts is rising, primarily from rivers. Experts urge action to combat this growing environmental crisis.
With the arrival of the summer season along the Mediterranean coasts, significant plastic pollution has been observed in various areas. Plastic waste accumulating on the beaches, particularly in Mersin, Antalya, and Muğla, has been captured by citizens and shared on social media.
Professor Dr. Barış Salihoğlu, Director of the Climate Center and Institute of Marine Sciences at Middle East Technical University (METU), stated that the primary source of plastic pollution observed in the seas is terrestrial activities.
Salihoğlu explained that a large portion of the waste reaches the sea through rivers and then spreads over wide areas due to currents. He noted that plastics can settle on the seabed or be transported on the surface, accumulating on the shores, and over time, they break down into macro, meso, and microplastics, exerting long-term pressure on the marine ecosystem.
Salihoğlu said, 'Our studies show that a significant portion of the plastic pollution on our shores originates at least from our rivers. We need to reduce these primarily. It is possible for the intense pollution coming from the Nile River to reach here, but we do not know exactly how much of it has arrived.'
Currents transport from east to west.
Salihoğlu mentioned that the transported plastics can affect not only the coasts of Adana and Mersin but also more distant regions due to marine currents. He expressed that the system known as the Asiatic Current in the Mediterranean moves from east to west, and this current can carry plastics from the eastern Mediterranean to the western shores.
For this reason, he emphasized the importance of creating digital twins of the seas, developing early warning systems, and implementing models that predict the spread of pollution. He reported that they are conducting blue economy and marine monitoring studies in this context in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change.
Salihoğlu indicated that with models to be developed in the near future, it will become clearer where the plastics come from and where they are transported.
He stressed that plastic pollution is not just a problem noticed on the coasts, continuing, 'The seas can no longer withstand this pollution. We react when we see it on the shore, but plastics affect the entire ecosystem, from the smallest organisms to fish, seabirds, and whales. Plastics should not be evaluated in isolation. It is one of the significant factors that weaken biodiversity, along with climate change, overfishing, chemical pollution, and other pressures.'
Salihoğlu pointed out that the solution lies not only in reducing plastics but also in collectively decreasing all pressures, including chemical pollution from rivers, nutrient salts, and waste from urban and agricultural sources.
'Plastics accumulating on land are carried to the sea by rivers.'
Associate Professor Dr. Olgaç Güven from the Faculty of Fisheries at Akdeniz University noted that the plastics observed recently have different characteristics from the classic plastic pollution they have been monitoring for years.
Güven stated that they first observed similar pollution signs on the Mersin coasts in 2022 and that their studies have shown this pollution is of terrestrial origin.
During the National Marine Pollution Monitoring Program studies they conducted in February, Güven emphasized that they encountered extraordinarily high levels of plastic in the Mersin Gulf and İskenderun Gulf, and since last year, they have received similar pollution reports extending from Alanya, Kemer, and recently to Marmaris.
Güven mentioned that they believe the plastic load accumulated in river basins was carried to the sea, especially after the heavy rains in February.
He described striking observations that reveal the extent of plastic density, stating, 'Normally, we collect microplastics from the surface of the sea with special nets, filter them, and count them, but in our sampling in Seyhan, our net was completely clogged with plastic. We could not transfer the samples to the filter. We had to fill a large freezer bag with the plastics inside the net. This was one of the densest plastic pollutions we have encountered so far. A large portion was not microplastics but consisted of meso-sized fragmented plastics.'
Güven concluded his remarks by stating, 'First, we need to scientifically establish the source of the pollution definitively. Collecting plastics from the sea feels to me like fighting the symptoms of a disease. What needs to be done is to eliminate the cause of the disease.'
Inspections continue.
Fatih Ekmekçi, General Director of Environmental Impact Assessment Permits and Inspections, stated in a recent announcement that since July 1, fines totaling 118 million 211 thousand 499 lira have been imposed on 52 facilities in Adana, Antalya, Muğla, Mersin, Hatay, and Gaziantep during a series of inspections against microplastic pollution in the sea and on the coast, and 19 facilities have been banned from operation.
Ekmekçi noted that the teams' work in this area continues uninterrupted, saying, 'We are also examining microplastics and plastic waste at 10 fixed points specific to the Mediterranean. We are currently working on this issue with the contractor we have engaged from Taşucu Port to Antalya. Our vessel from METU is conducting these studies in collaboration with the Ministry.'
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
