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SeaCleaner Pellets Watch: citizen science approach to collect data and raise awareness on resin pellet problem in EU.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) 2024 Score: 35 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Roberta Giugliano, Silvia Merlino, Silvia Merlino, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Silvia Merlino, Silvia Merlino, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Stefania Di Vito Silvia Merlino, Silvia Merlino, Filipa Bessa, Silvia Merlino, Silvia Merlino, Stefania Di Vito, Stefania Di Vito Silvia Merlino, Silvia Merlino, Marina Locritani, Marina Locritani, Filipa Bessa, Silvia Merlino, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Marina Locritani, Marina Locritani, Filipa Bessa, Marina Locritani, Filipa Bessa, Marina Locritani, Filipa Bessa, Marina Locritani, Marina Locritani, Stefania Di Vito, Stefania Di Vito, Stefania Di Vito Stefania Di Vito, Stefania Di Vito Stefania Di Vito, Stefania Di Vito Stefania Di Vito Stefania Di Vito Stefania Di Vito, Filipa Bessa, Silvia Merlino, Silvia Merlino, Marco Bianucci, Marco Bianucci, Stefano Barberis, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Roberta Giugliano, Roberta Giugliano, Roberta Giugliano, Roberta Giugliano, Stefano Barberis, Stefano Barberis, Stefano Barberis, Stefania Di Vito, Filipa Bessa, Sara Rossini, Stefania Di Vito Sara Rossini, Stefania Di Vito Filipa Bessa, Silvia Merlino, Sara Rossini, Filipa Bessa, Sara Rossini, Stefania Di Vito, Marco Bianucci, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Roberta Giugliano, Roberta Giugliano, Roberta Giugliano, Marco Bianucci, Marco Bianucci, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Marina Locritani, Marina Locritani, Filipa Bessa, Stefania Di Vito Silvia Merlino, Vanna Serani, Vanna Serani, Vanna Serani, Stefania Di Vito, Stefania Di Vito, Marco Bianucci, Roberta Giugliano, Vanna Serani, Stefania Di Vito Filipa Bessa, Marco Paterni, Filipa Bessa, Marco Paterni, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Marco Paterni, Marco Paterni, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Filipa Bessa, Marco Bianucci, Marco Bianucci, Filipa Bessa, Stefania Di Vito Stefania Di Vito, Stefania Di Vito, Stefania Di Vito

Summary

Researchers developed the SeaCleaner Pellets Watch citizen science initiative in Italy to engage the public in monitoring and reporting resin pellet microplastics on EU coastlines, collecting systematic distribution data and raising awareness of these industrial plastic intermediates as a pervasive marine pollution problem.

Resin pellets are microplastics of first generation produced as industrial intermediates to be melted down to form plastic artefacts. Although it is indisputable that these objects are widespread in the marine environment, from the equator to the poles, it is also true that outside the scientific community their presence, the causes of their massive dispersal and the consequent environmental impact are little known. In the framework of SeaCleaner project), born in Italy with the intent of disseminating the issue of marine litter pollution and fostering public engagement trough citizen science approach, a user-friendly protocol for collecting and cataloguing pellets was created (https://sites.google.com/view/seacleaner/monitoraggi/resin-pellets), to help researchers quantify their presence along the coasts, and not only: collected samples are classified on the basis of parameters such as yellowing, degradation state and presence of pollutants and/or heavy metals, in order to use them as a proxy for pollution, following IPW prescriptions. Parallel to that of collecting and analysing samples, an equally important outreach activity is carried out, and in this the associations/schools/citizens participating play a fundamental role. These include LEGAMBIENTE (www.legambiente.it), thanks to the annual Goletta Verde campaign along Italian beaches, and, again for Italy, ANISN (National Association of Natural Science Teachers), which coordinates collection and cataloguing of pellets in Italian regions by secondary school students; SHIBUMI (www.shibumi.it), which in addition to helping us sample pellets along the Canary Islands coasts (with particular focus on Lanzarote Island) and those of the Morocco Atlantic coast, has been involved in numerous outreach actions, both in Canarian schools and through their website and social networks (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF8Kz7LfCXo). Finally, we are initiating a collaboration for research and citizen science/outreach activities with the University of Coimbra, to replicate in Portugal (Portugal Pellets Watch) what has already been done in Italy and the other EU countries with which we collaborate. Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/559556/document

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