First report of occurrence, distribution, and composition of microplastics in surface waters of the Sea of Marmara, Turkey

Plastic is produced today in large quantities and used for many purposes. At the end of use, a large part of it gets into the environment, often into the sea and there it is fragmented into the smallest fragments, so-called microplastic (MP). MPs pose a serious challenge to the marine environment such as the sources and properties of MP particles, their impact on marine organisms, and the challenges of environmental pollution. This work, carried out in the fourteen sites in the area, is the first reference to the detection of MP distribution at surface waters in the Sea of Marmara, Turkey. As a result of this study, the average level of MP in the surface was determined to be 1.263 item/m(2). The results were higher compared of the most other adjacent regions and show that the Sea of Marmara started to face that problem.