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Operationalising accessibility in marine pollution science communication: the Zeropol Hub case study
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Scientists built the Zeropol Hub, an online library that gathers trustworthy, easy to understand information on marine pollutants like microplastics and PFAS "forever chemicals," which can end up in our food and water. It's grown to over 100 resources in 20+ languages, but researchers still need to confirm whether it actually helps people understand and act on pollution risks.
Marine pollution is a major environmental challenge, and effective communication of scientific evidence is important for supporting public engagement, environmental governance, and evidence-based decision-making. Yet marine pollution communication resources are often fragmented across platforms and vary in language, format, audience orientation, and accessibility. This implementation case study describes the development and early deployment of the Zeropol Hub, an accessibility-oriented digital repository designed to curate validated science communication and educational resources on microplastics, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), nutrient pollution, and underwater noise. We document the repository workflow for resource identification, screening, scientific validation, metadata classification, accessibility-oriented organisation, maintenance, and early monitoring. During the initial implementation period, the repository expanded from 71 to 103 resources, representing more than 20 languages and multiple communication formats. Web analytics provide descriptive indicators of early use and geographic reach, but do not measure user comprehension, inclusivity, discoverability, behavioural outcomes, or science-policy-society impact. The case study therefore demonstrates how accessibility principles can be operationalised as repository design and governance features, rather than demonstrating that these intended outcomes have already been achieved. The study offers a documented implementation approach that may inform development and evaluation of comparable environmental science communication infrastructures, while identifying user-centred and longitudinal evaluation as priorities for future research.
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