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Temporal Trends and Potential Drivers of Stranded Marine Debris on Beaches Within Two US National Marine Sanctuaries Using Citizen Science Data
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This citizen science study monitored marine debris on shorelines within two U.S. National Marine Sanctuaries over multiple years, finding that debris abundance reflects seasonal coastal upwelling and downwelling patterns. The study identified that participant number significantly influenced debris counts, highlighting the need to standardize survey methodology for reliable long-term monitoring.
Marine debris is a threat to our ocean that can be more effectively addressed through monitoring and assessment of items stranded on shorelines. This study engaged citizen scientists to conduct shoreline marine debris surveys according to a published NOAA protocol within the Greater Farallones and Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuaries on the west coast of the United States. Here, we use the results of these multi-year monitoring data to estimate marine debris abundance and temporal trends, and identify drivers of debris loads. Changes in debris counts and composition are shown to reflect seasonal patterns of coastal upwelling and downwelling, but longer temporal trends in overall debris loads depend on the sampling window. Identifying drivers of stranded debris is challenging given the observational nature of the data. A linear increase in total expected debris counts was observed when up to five participants are conducting a survey, suggesting a need to standardize the number of participants and their search pattern for debris in shoreline monitoring efforts. Lastly, we discuss the application of shoreline marine debris data to evaluate the impact of management decisions and identify new targets for mitigation.
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Researchers compared 40 citizen science marine litter monitoring studies with 40 professional science studies, finding that citizen science projects have mainly focused on beach surveys and successfully generated large-scale distribution data, while professional studies have contributed more to composition analysis and ecological impact assessment. The review highlights the complementary strengths of both approaches and the value of citizen participation in long-term litter monitoring.
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Researchers compiled seven years of citizen science marine litter data from the southern Bay of Biscay across beaches, floating zones, and seafloor surveys, finding plastics comprised 77–98% of recorded items and that small plastic pieces (0–2.5 cm) were the single most abundant object type across all three environments.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.