Marine litter pollution is a recognized form of anthropogenic
disturbance that affects widely the marine environment,
particularly near the continental margins, although also
present at abyssal and bathyal depths. This study reports the
occurrence of marine litter distribution and abundance in four
abyssal basins along the Gloria fracture zone in the NE
Atlantic. Litter items occurrences were analysed using TV-CTD
video surveys carried out during the multidisciplinary
activities of the R/V Meteor M162 cruise. The surveys reached
depths between 3500-4500m and covered 16 km of seafloor,
between the Terceira ridge and the Madeira-Tore Rise. Litter
items were annotated and categorized by type (i.e., plastic,
fishing gear, metal, glass, other unknown items). Results
revealed that litter was exclusively found on soft sediment
habitats across all areas, i.e. depositional areas, with the
overwhelming dominance of plastics items (71%), such as
plastic containers, cups and bag fragments. Although less
common (6-8%), metal, glass and lost fishing gear were also
observed. Litter density was on average 9 times higher in the
easternmost area near the Madeira-Tore ridge, when
compared to the other areas. Higher litter densities are likely
explained due to the proximity to the Madeira-Tore
seamount complex targeted by the fishing industry and
nearimportant corridors of marine traffic between various
Atlantic and Mediterranean locations
