Plastic pollution in the Mediterranean - An ecosystem risk assessment

Plastic pollution is cause of increasing concern in the scientific community and in the general population due to its pervasiveness, in particular in the marine environment. It globally threatens the ecosystems and all populations relying on the many ecosystem services provided by nature. The Mediterranean Sea (MedSea), one of the ecoregions most impacted by human activities in the world, is no stranger to marine litter, with measured plastic concentrations comparable to the ones found in oceanic gyres. For this reason, marine plastic litter in the MedSea has been defined as a plastic soup, and its impacts have already been documented on several species. Here we show how numerical modelling can be applied to evaluate the risk caused by plastic pollution in Southern European seas. We combined modelled plastic densities with an ecosystem approach, with the aim to inform policies for protection of Marine Protected Areas (such as Pelagos).