Inputs, Distribution and Storage of plastic debris in the Mediterranean Sea.

It is known that plastic debris spreads over the surface of all the oceans, the beaches around the world, and on the ocean floor from the tropics to the poles. However, we do not know how plastic debris circulates and is accumulated in seas and oceans. MIDaS project aims to carry out a comprehensive analysis for the plastic waste throughout the entire Mediterranean basin. The purpose is to determine where and at what pace plastic really accumulates in the ocean.

The Mediterranean Sea is an optimal field of work to tackle this objective since (i) it is a semi-closed system, (ii) one of the world´s great plastic accumulation regions, (iii) hot-spot of global marine diversity, (iv) and one of the zones with the highest concentration of research studies on marine pollution.

Our emphasis is being given to the trans-ecosystem standardization of data and sampling protocols, as well as filling gaps in the available information in order to compile comparable quantitative data enough to draw up the a large-scale comprehensive assessment of the marine plastic pollution.

The plan of dissemination and transfer of results involves governments as well as large private companies related with the recycling (ECOEMBES) and production (PLASTIC EUROPE) of plastics. We expect that MIDaS project can contribute to further the management of marine plastic pollution.