Pollution characteristics, sources and risk assessment of marine litter in Guangdong province

Based on the sampling and survey results of 11 marine areas (shoals) in Guangdong province in 2023, the beach, surface and submarine litter were divided into urban, rural, fishery, coastal, lagoon, bedrock, sand and mud, and construction types respectively. The density, distribution and source of marine litter were analyzed, and the risk of marine litter was assessed using the beach quality index. The results showed that the density of beach litter, floating litter on the sea surface and seabed litter was 43178 items/km², 5634 items/km² and 2747 items/km², respectively. There were significant differences between rainy and dry seasons. Marine litter mainly came from human coastal activities and shipping/fishing activities, and the cleanliness of the beaches surveyed was “very clean”, the safety level was “safe” or “moderately safe” and the health status was “good”.