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Studying microplastics on new hampshire, USA beaches using citizen scientists
Summary
A long-running citizen science program on New Hampshire beaches found consistent levels of microplastics in dry sand from 2014 onward, with fibers and fragments being the most common types. The study demonstrates that citizen science can produce reliable, long-term data on beach microplastic contamination. Ongoing monitoring is essential for understanding whether pollution levels are changing over time.
Since 2014, Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation and NH Sea Grant have collaborated to study microplastics on New Hampshire beaches. Using citizen scientists, we sample 5 beaches each month, from April through October. Our study looks for microplastics that are 1-5mm in size, in dry sand. Our goal is to determine potential sources and ultimately reduce litter on our beaches. Once samples are collected, they are sorted by type (e.g., foams, filaments, fragments). This presentation will detail our sampling methods, results and lessons learned. Also see: https://micro2022.sciencesconf.org/427368/document