Marine litter in the Nordic Seas: Distribution composition and abundance

Litter has been found in all marine environments and is accumulating in seabirds and mammals in the Nordic Seas. These ecosystems are under pressure from climatic change and fisheries while the human population is small. The marine landscapes in the area range from shallow fishing banks to deep-sea canyons. We present density, distribution and composition of litter from the first large-scale mapping of sea bed litter in arctic and subarctic waters. Litter was registered from 1778 video transects, of which 27% contained litter. The background density of litter in the Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea is 202 and 279 items/km2 respectively, and highest densities were found close to coast and in canyons. Most of the litter originated from the fishing industry and plastic was the second most common litter. Background levels were comparable to European records and areas with most littering had higher densities than in Europe. •A total of 101 million litter items corresponding to 79 thousand tons is estimated for the Barents Sea.•27% of the 1778 video stations contained litter and fishing gear was the dominating source.•Background value for the area was 230 items×km−2 comparable to European continental shelf areas.•Extremely high densities (>6000 items×km−2) was observed on the coast near a major fishing port.•Litter accumulates in deep sea landscapes as canyons and at the coast in fjords.