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Rapid spatiotemporal monitoring of beach microplastics in the Galápagos Islands
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This study tested whether citizen scientists — local teenagers in the Galápagos Islands — could reliably monitor beach microplastics using a portable near-infrared spectrometer, finding that 93% of particles were correctly identified as plastic and showing that microplastic concentrations on Tortuga Bay increased significantly in 2024. The citizen science approach generated five years of spatiotemporal data that would otherwise be impossible to collect in such a remote location. This matters because low-cost, community-based monitoring could fill major gaps in global microplastic surveillance, especially in ecologically sensitive and hard-to-reach areas.
Understanding the environmental fate and behaviour of microplastics across space and time is challenging, especially in remote locations such as the Galápagos Islands. Citizen science can support plastic monitoring by extending geographic and temporal coverage, though concerns persist around data validation. This study evaluated a simple citizen science methodology, aided by a near-infrared portable spectrometer (PlasTell), for the rapid monitoring of beach microplastics (>1 mm) to investigate spatiotemporal accumulation patterns on Tortuga Bay, Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos. A total of 3377 suspected microplastics were collected by citizen scientists between 2020 and 2025. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy verified that 92.77% of particles had been correctly identified as plastic, primarily low-density polyethylene (72.51%) and polypropylene (22.44%) fragments. The mean microplastic concentration on Tortuga Bay was 145.29 ± 23.57 particles m-2, which increased significantly in 2024 (290.88 ± 73.76 particles m-2), coinciding with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation in the Pacific Ocean. Accumulation gradients both parallel and perpendicular to the waterline were observed, with four-fold higher concentrations and elevated pre-production pellet ('nurdle') composition at the turtle nesting zone at the back of the beach (234.59 ± 42.25 particles m-2, 22.54% respectively). Despite more limited characterisation potential, PlasTell identified 89.24% of microplastics in <1 s with no false positives, overcoming the analytical bottleneck of microplastics for researchers and enabling timely data validation. Subsequently, this study demonstrates how technology aided citizen science methodologies can fill major regional knowledge gaps on microplastic accumulation, compensating for climatic complexity and environmental variability, to support plastics monitoring efforts in remote island systems.
More Papers Like This
Microplastic distribution and composition on two Galápagos island beaches, Ecuador: Verifying the use of citizen science derived data in long-term monitoring
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Researchers validated a citizen science methodology for monitoring visible microplastic contamination on Galapagos island beaches using standardized quadrat sampling, comparing citizen-generated data with expert surveys over multiple years. The approach was found to produce reliable data for long-term monitoring while reducing costs, supporting its use in logistically challenging remote locations.
Citizen science derived spatiotemporal (2020-2025) microplastic accumulation data for Tortuga Bay, Galápagos Islands
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This is a dataset entry documenting five years (2020–2025) of beach microplastic accumulation data collected by citizen scientists on Tortuga Bay in the Galápagos Islands, supporting the companion research paper (ID 1054). The dataset covers 3,377 particles verified by infrared spectroscopy as predominantly polyethylene and polypropylene fragments.
Citizen Science for Assessment of Microplastics on Beaches: A Case Study in Mexico
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Researchers used a citizen science approach involving 26 volunteers to assess microplastic abundance and type on Mexican beaches, providing broad geographic coverage at lower cost than traditional monitoring. Participants used standardized materials and training to collect and identify microplastics, generating a representative database that also raised public awareness of coastal plastic pollution.
The sampling and analysis of coastal microplastic and mesoplastic: Development of a citizen science approach
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This study designed, developed, and tested a citizen science approach to microplastic and mesoplastic data collection on coastal beaches to address scale and coverage limitations of traditional research methods. Results showed non-expert participants could collect comparable data to researchers, expanding monitoring capacity across undersampled coastlines.
Accuracy of a Simple Microplastics Investigation Method on Sandy Beaches
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This study assessed whether high school students using simple, low-cost tools (tape measures, cardboard, and seawater instead of heavy laboratory liquids) could accurately survey microplastic levels on sandy beaches. Results showed high accuracy — up to 89% particle recovery using seawater alone — suggesting that citizen science beach monitoring programs can generate reliable data. Democratising microplastic monitoring is important for scaling up environmental surveillance beyond what professional researchers can cover.
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