The Beachcomber's Guide to Marine Debris (eBook)

Michael Stachowitsch received his B.Sc. degree at the Univ. of Pittsburgh and his Ph.D. at the Univ. of Vienna. He has successfully managed to maintain a career as a marine biologist in a landlocked country, conducting research in the Adriatic and Red Seas and teaching numerous university courses. He is the long-term Austrian coordinator of a Mediterranean sea turtle conservation project in Turkey and represents Austria at the International Whaling Commission. Michael's many activities as a scientist, author, translator and editor have taken him to beaches around the globe: the fauna and flora differ from shore to shore, the beach litter is astoundingly uniform – and abundant. Decades on hands and knees with a camera yielded this book and revealed unsettling truths about human attitudes and behavior.

Foreword Preface Introduction      Guide format       The marine debris problem       The beach environment      What can you and I do?Glass      bottles      glass pieces       light bulbs / fluorescent light tubes Metal      cans      bottle caps/pull tabs      canisters      drums      household items / appliances      vehicles and tiresPlastic      pellets        beverage containers      bottles      cups, straws      caps, lids       tetrapacks      6-pack holders      canisters      toys      balloons      bags and packaging      shotgun shellsFoamed plastic (styrofoam)      cups / plates / food containers      beanbags      buoys       packing material    Personal hygiene      bathroom items      tampons / tampon applicators      diapers      condomsMedical wastes      syringes      medications      hospital wastesFurniture & furnishings      beach furniture      toilets & Co.      appliances & home electronicsApparel      footwear      flip-flops / shoes      clothing      gloves      hatsWater sports      snorkelling equipment      flotation devices      surfboardsFishing gear      hook, line and sinker      glow sticks      nets      buoys       fishing cratesWood      Pallets       crates      boats       lumber/planks      householdPaper      cups      packaging      newspapers / magazines       fireworksOrganic debris      fruits & vegetables      snacks      dung      cadaversOil and Tar      crude oil      tar balls      oil spillsSmoking      cigarette butts      cigarette packages      cigars      lightersAcknowledgements    ReferencesFurther ReadingContacts  Index