New Plastitar Record for the Mediterranean Sea: Characterization of Plastics and Tar from the Salento Peninsula (Ionian Sea)

the various forms of anthropogenic pollution are regarded as a serious threat to marine coastal areas. the over production and mismanagement of petroleum derivates, such as tar and plastics, has resulted in a significant correlation between these two pollutants. The aggregation of tar, microplastics (MPs) and natural materials can create plastitar blocks, which are common in coastal areas. These raice concern against the undeniable negative impact on the marine ecosystemand associate biota and serve as recognizable and understandable indication of environmental decline. Here, the composition of the 11 blocks of plastitar collected along the Ionian coast of the Apulia region (Italy) was characterized both in tar and plastics. the majority iof these were in the form of pellets (90%) with fragments accounting for 5 % and films and filaments representing ther remaining 5 %. The study provides new data that can be used to understanding the distribution and the baseline information about this novel form of pollution in Italian coastal waters.