Reply on RC1

This work presents a hyperspectral reflectance dataset of macroplastic samples acquired using Analytical Spectral Devices (ASD) FieldSpec 4. Samples analysed consisted of pristine, artificially weathered and biofouled plastic items and plastic debris samples collected in the docks of the Port of Antwerp and in the river Scheldt near Temse Bridge (Belgium). The hyperspectral signal of each sample was measured in controlled dry conditions in an optical calibration facility at the Flemish Institute for Technological Research, and, for a subset of plastics, under wet and submerged conditions in a silo tank at Flanders Hydraulics. The wet and submerged hyperspectral signals were measured in a mesocosm setting that mimicked environmentally relevant concentrations of freshwater microalgae and of suspended sediment. The ASD was equipped with an 8° field of view at the calibration facility, and a 1° field of view was used in the mesocosm setting. The dataset obtained complies with the Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reuse (FAIR) principles and is available in the open-access repository Marine Data Archive (https://doi.org/10.14284/530, Leone et al., 2021).