Search

Marine litter is a significant and growing environmental problem with global implications, affecting oceans and seas. This study analyzes marine litter's composition and density, specifically at Kamchiya-Shkorpilovtsi, the longest beach on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. The monitoring period from 2018 to 2022 covers an area of 7645 m2. To effectively study the area, it was divided into four monitoring transects: Kamchiya-Mouth, Kamchiya-South (Novo Oryahovo Beach), Shkorpilovtsi, and Shkorpilovtsi-South. During the study, a DJI Phantom RTK was utilized to create a high-resolution raster orthomosaic, aiding in identifying marine litter (ML). A total of 8892 items were identified and classified into eight categories: "Artificial polymer materials" (81.94% of total items), "Rubber" (0.74%), "Cloth/Textile" (0.72%), "Paper/Cardboard" (8.37%), "Processed wood" (1.79%), "Metal" (2.87%), "Glass/Ceramics" (3.19%), and "Unidentified" (0.38%). The density of litter was estimated to be 0.24 items per square meter. In terms of abundance, the highest count of ML was recorded in 2021, with 3250 items, which coincided with the pandemic situation in Bulgaria. Throughout the monitoring period, artificial polymer materials constituted the majority, accounting for 82% of the litter. The most prevalent types of marine beach litter were cigarette butts, plastic and polystyrene fragments, industrial packaging, plastic cups and rings, as well as beach-related cosmetic bottles and containers like sunblocks, nets, and net pieces. The cleanliness of Kamchiya-Shkorpilovtsi Beach was assessed using the Clean Coast Index, which classified it as "Clean" with a score of 4.77. Additionally, this study introduced the Plastic Abundance Index (PAI) as a comprehensive measure to evaluate pollution caused by marine debris. The results of the PAI analysis yielded a value of 1.49, classifying Kamchiya-Shkorpilovtsi beach as falling into the "Moderate" type in terms of the number of plastic items in sampling units. This indicates a significant presence of plastics in the beach environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transitional (brackish) water bodies host extremely vulnerable ecosystems. They are highly sensitive to pollution, changes in the water currents, nutrient levels, etc. Over the course of the 20th century in Bulgaria, many of them were purposely drained or strongly altered. Today, these fragile ecosystems account for just 0.1% of Bulgaria’s area, and hence they are listed among the country’s top priority nature conservation sites. The long-term preservation and survival of numerous rare or threatened hydrobionts depend on the conservation of these aquatic habitats. The site selected for the study herein is Maznia azmak. It represents a highly eutrophicated coastal lake (a former river bed) found in the Kamchia River’s downstream sector, contiguous to the mouth of the estuarine type, where it empties into the Black Sea. The study site represents a constituent part of Kamchia Nature Reserve and two Natura 2000 protected sites, i.e., BG0002045 Komplex Kamchia (Birds Directive) and BG0000116 Kamchia (Habitats Directive). The main goal of the present paper is to analyze the spatio-temporal changes, scale and rate of eutrophication at Maznia azmak and the related loss of sensitive aquatic habitats that are a subject to preservation. This has been achieved through GIS-based analysis and interpretation of archive topographic maps compiled at scale of 1:5,000-1:126,000, historical satellite and contemporary drone imagery. Results of the study demonstrate the constant expansion of the aquatic vegetation at the expense of open water surfaces. These findings imply for a deteriorated ecological status of the associated freshwater habitats in result of eutrophication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]