Estimation of the annual flow and stock of marine debris in South Korea for management purposes

Jang, Yong Chang; Lee, Jongmyoung; Hong, Sunwook; Mok, Jin Yong; Kim, Kyoung-Shin; Lee, Yun Jeong; Choi, Hyun-Woo; Kang, Hongmook; Lee, Sukhui

Estimation of the annual flow and stock of marine debris in South Korea for management purposes

2014

The annual flow and stock of marine debris in the Sea of Korea was estimated by summarizing previous survey results and integrating them with other relevant information to underpin the national marine debris management plan. The annual inflow of marine debris was estimated to be 91,195tons [32,825tons (36% of the total) from sources on land and 58,370tons (64%) from ocean sources]. As of the end of 2012, the total stock of marine debris on all South Korean coasts (12,029tons), the seabed (137,761tons), and in the water column (2451tons) was estimated to be 152,241tons. In 2012, 42,595tons of marine debris was collected from coasts, seabeds, and the water column. This is a very rare case study that estimated the amount of marine debris at a national level, the results of which provide essential information for the development of efficient marine debris management policies.

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