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On advances, challenges and potentials of remote sensing image analysis in marine debris and suspected plastics monitoring
Summary
This review evaluates the current state of satellite and aerial remote sensing for detecting marine plastic debris, noting that while progress has been made using optical and hyperspectral imaging, significant challenges remain including low detection resolution for small particles, confusion with other floating materials, and the need for better machine learning algorithms. The paper is relevant to the microplastics field as large-scale monitoring tools are needed to track plastic pollution distribution and inform cleanup and policy efforts, though direct detection of microplastics (<5 mm) from orbit remains largely out of reach with current technology.
Marine plastic pollution is an emerging environmental problem since it pollutes the ocean, air and food whilst endangering the ocean wildlife via the ingestion and entanglements. During the last decade, an enormous effort has been spent on finding possible solutions to marine plastic pollution. Remote sensing imagery sits in a crucial place for these efforts since it provides informative earth observation products, and the current technology offers further essential development. Despite the advances in the last decade, there is still a way to go for marine plastic monitoring research where challenges are rarely highlighted. This paper contributes to the literature with a critical review and aims to highlight literature milestones in marine debris and suspected plastics (MD&SP) monitoring by promoting the computational imaging methodology behind these approaches along with detailed discussions on challenges and potential future research directions.
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