Global assessment of marine plastic exposure risk for oceanic birds.
Clark BL., Carneiro APB., Pearmain EJ., Rouyer M-M., Clay TA., Cowger W., Phillips RA., Manica A., Hazin C., Eriksen M., González-Solís J., Adams J., Albores-Barajas YV., Alfaro-Shigueto J., Alho MS., Araujo DT., Arcos JM., Arnould JPY., Barbosa NJP., Barbraud C., Beard AM., Beck J., Bell EA., Bennet DG., Berlincourt M., Biscoito M., Bjørnstad OK., Bolton M., Booth Jones KA., Borg JJ., Bourgeois K., Bretagnolle V., Bried J., Briskie JV., Brooke MDL., Brownlie KC., Bugoni L., Calabrese L., Campioni L., Carey MJ., Carle RD., Carlile N., Carreiro AR., Catry P., Catry T., Cecere JG., Ceia FR., Cherel Y., Choi C-Y., Cianchetti-Benedetti M., Clarke RH., Cleeland JB., Colodro V., Congdon BC., Danielsen J., De Pascalis F., Deakin Z., Dehnhard N., Dell'Omo G., Delord K., Descamps S., Dilley BJ., Dinis HA., Dubos J., Dunphy BJ., Emmerson LM., Fagundes AI., Fayet AL., Felis JJ., Fischer JH., Freeman AND., Fromant A., Gaibani G., García D., Gjerdrum C., Gomes ISGC., Forero MG., Granadeiro JP., Grecian WJ., Grémillet D., Guilford T., Hallgrimsson GT., Halpin LR., Hansen ES., Hedd A., Helberg M., Helgason HH., Henry LM., Hereward HFR., Hernandez-Montero M., Hindell MA., Hodum PJ., Imperio S., Jaeger A., Jessopp M., Jodice PGR., Jones CG., Jones CW., Jónsson JE., Kane A., Kapelj S., Kim Y., Kirk H., Kolbeinsson Y., Kraemer PL., Krüger L., Lago P., Landers TJ., Lavers JL., Le Corre M., Leal A., Louzao M., Madeiros J., Magalhães M., Mallory ML., Masello JF., Massa B., Matsumoto S., McDuie F., McFarlane Tranquilla L., Medrano F., Metzger BJ., Militão T., Montevecchi WA., Montone RC., Navarro-Herrero L., Neves VC., Nicholls DG., Nicoll MAC., Norris K., Oppel S., Oro D., Owen E., Padget O., Paiva VH., Pala D., Pereira JM., Péron C., Petry MV., de Pina A., Pina ATM., Pinet P., Pistorius PA., Pollet IL., Porter BJ., Poupart TA., Powell CDL., Proaño CB., Pujol-Casado J., Quillfeldt P., Quinn JL., Raine AF., Raine H., Ramírez I., Ramos JA., Ramos R., Ravache A., Rayner MJ., Reid TA., Robertson GJ., Rocamora GJ., Rollinson DP., Ronconi RA., Rotger A., Rubolini D., Ruhomaun K., Ruiz A., Russell JC., Ryan PG., Saldanha S., Sanz-Aguilar A., Sardà-Serra M., Satgé YG., Sato K., Schäfer WC., Schoombie S., Shaffer SA., Shah N., Shoji A., Shutler D., Sigurðsson IA., Silva MC., Small AE., Soldatini C., Strøm H., Surman CA., Takahashi A., Tatayah VRV., Taylor GA., Thomas RJ., Thompson DR., Thompson PM., Thórarinsson TL., Vicente-Sastre D., Vidal E., Wakefield ED., Waugh SM., Weimerskirch H., Wittmer HU., Yamamoto T., Yoda K., Zavalaga CB., Zino FJ., Dias MP.
Plastic pollution is distributed patchily around the world's oceans. Likewise, marine organisms that are vulnerable to plastic ingestion or entanglement have uneven distributions. Understanding where wildlife encounters plastic is crucial for targeting research and mitigation. Oceanic seabirds, particularly petrels, frequently ingest plastic, are highly threatened, and cover vast distances during foraging and migration. However, the spatial overlap between petrels and plastics is poorly understood. Here we combine marine plastic density estimates with individual movement data for 7137 birds of 77 petrel species to estimate relative exposure risk. We identify high exposure risk areas in the Mediterranean and Black seas, and the northeast Pacific, northwest Pacific, South Atlantic and southwest Indian oceans. Plastic exposure risk varies greatly among species and populations, and between breeding and non-breeding seasons. Exposure risk is disproportionately high for Threatened species. Outside the Mediterranean and Black seas, exposure risk is highest in the high seas and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the USA, Japan, and the UK. Birds generally had higher plastic exposure risk outside the EEZ of the country where they breed. We identify conservation and research priorities, and highlight that international collaboration is key to addressing the impacts of marine plastic on wide-ranging species.