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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.
This dataset documents the spatiotemporal accumulation of beach microplastics (>1 mm) on Tortuga Bay, Santa Cruz, Galápagos Islands. Suspected particles (3,377) were collected using a simple citizen science methodology which employed a standard unit (50 x 50 cm quadrat), sampled to a standardised depth (5 cm) at a known location (strandline or turtle nesting zone) and time (2020 to 2025). Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier-transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, evaluated against a hand-held near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer (PlasTell), verified that 92.77% of particles had been correctly identified by citizen scientists (local teenagers from the Molas Ecology Club of ECOS - Educación para Comunidades Sostenibles) as plastic, with a mean concentration of 145.29 ± 23.57 particles m-2, primarily low density polyethylene (72.51%) and polypropylene (22.44%) fragments. Microplastic accumulation increased temporally in 2024 (290.88 ± 73.76 particles m-2) coinciding with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation in the Pacific Ocean, as well as spatially at the turtle nesting zone at the back of the beach, with elevated composition of preproduction pellets 'nurdles' (234.59 ± 42.25 particles m-2; 22.54% respectively). This data demonstrates how technology-aided citizen science approaches can support regional monitoring capabilities across environmentally dynamic and remote island systems. This work forms part of the Pacific Plastic: Science to Solutions network, funded by Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) grant 'Reducing the impacts of plastic waste in the Eastern Pacific Ocean' (NERC grant reference NE/V005448/1).
More Papers Like This
Citizen science derived spatiotemporal (2020-2025) microplastic accumulation data for Tortuga Bay, Galápagos Islands
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This is a duplicate dataset entry — the same Tortuga Bay citizen science microplastic dataset as entry 1088.
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.
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.
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Researchers analyzed citizen science data from the Big Microplastic Survey to assess the potential contribution of volunteer-collected observations to understanding coastal microplastic and mesoplastic distribution patterns, evaluating data quality and spatial coverage relative to conventional scientific monitoring.
Dataset of microscopic images and infrared spectra of beach sediment samples from Juara, Salang, and Tulai in Tioman Island, Malaysia
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This dataset paper provides microscopic images and infrared spectra of beach sediment particles — including microplastics — collected from three beaches on Tioman Island, Malaysia. The data, covering particles in both the microplastic (<5 mm) and macroplastic (>5 mm) size ranges, is intended as a reference resource for environmental monitoring and pollution studies in marine ecosystems. Making such raw spectral and imaging data publicly available is important for building the comparative databases needed to standardize microplastic identification methods across different research groups.
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