POSTER 153
MARINE LITTER DETECTION: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE MARINE OPTICS COMMUNITY
Current estimates of the amount and distribution of plastic litter in the ocean are limited by thelack of global, sustained and standardised observations. It is expected that a better globalpicture of plastic litter in the ocean could be supported by remote sensing. This would have asignificant impact on addressing both fundamental scientific questions (such as improving thequantification of plastic pools and fluxes, and validating plastic accumulation models), as wellas providing tools for environmental monitoring for the benefit of society (e.g. information onsources and sinks for policy makers).
An initial step in the design of an optical remote sensing mission for marine plastic litterdetection is to carry out a feasibility study. As part of it, we present the results of a literaturereview and a user consultation of the marine plastic litter community. In particular, we focussedon two scenarios: microplastics (diameter <5 mm) in the upper layer of the ocean andmacroplastic (diameter >5 mm) accumulation on shore. User-defined observationalrequirements were matched to the available optical remote sensing techniques. This exerciseallowed us to identify potential for development. Where potential was identified, experimentaland modelling studies were pursued. We report results from laboratory experiments withmicroplastics beads at a range of concentrations. Experiments on the shoreline were also usedto test whether detection can be achieved with current optical techniques. We will conclude bydiscussing the next steps required for further developing an optical remote sensing mission formarine plastic litter detection.
Victor Martinez Vicente, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Remote Sensing Group, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3492-583X
James Clark, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, [email protected]
Matt Cole, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, [email protected]
Paolo Corradi, European Space Agency, [email protected]
Penelope Lindeque, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, [email protected]
Stefan Simis, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, [email protected]
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