We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Using a UAV Thermal Infrared Camera for Monitoring Floating Marine Plastic Litter
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers evaluated thermal infrared (TIR) cameras mounted on UAVs as a novel tool for detecting floating plastic litter on water surfaces, demonstrating that TIR imaging can complement visible and near-infrared sensing by detecting plastics based on temperature differences rather than optical reflectance.
In recent years, the remote sensing of marine plastic litter has been rapidly evolving and the technology is most advanced in the visible (VIS), near-infrared (NIR), and short-wave infrared (SWIR) wavelengths. It has become clear that sensing using VIS-SWIR bands, based on the surface reflectance of sunlight, would benefit from complementary measurements using different technologies. Thermal infrared (TIR) sensing shows potential as a novel method for monitoring macro plastic litter floating on the water surface, as the physics behind surface-leaving TIR is different. We assessed a thermal radiance model for floating plastic litter using a small UAV-grade FLIR Vue Pro R 640 thermal camera by flying it over controlled floating plastic litter targets during the day and night and in different seasons. Experiments in the laboratory supported the field measurements. We investigated the effects of environmental conditions, such as temperatures, light intensity, the presence of clouds, and biofouling. TIR sensing could complement observations from VIS, NIR, and SWIR in several valuable ways. For example, TIR sensing could be used for monitoring during the night, to detect plastics invisible to VIS-SWIR, to discriminate whitecaps from marine litter, and to detect litter pollution over clear, shallow waters. In this study, we have shown the previously unconfirmed potential of using TIR sensing for monitoring floating plastic litter.
More Papers Like This
Aerial detection of beached marine plastic using a novel, hyperspectral short-wave infrared (SWIR) camera
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers demonstrated that a lightweight hyperspectral short-wave infrared camera mounted on a drone could successfully detect and distinguish polyethylene and polypropylene plastics on beaches under natural sunlight, establishing proof of concept for aerial plastic monitoring.
Autonomous Microplastic Detection in Marine Environments Using a Sea Buoy-Controlled Drone with SWIR Spectroscopy
AI summary Read the abstract
A new autonomous monitoring system combines a sea buoy with a drone equipped with short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectroscopy to detect microplastics floating on ocean surfaces. The approach offers scalable, large-area coverage for marine plastic pollution assessment with minimal human intervention.
Unmanned Vehicle and Hyperspectral Imager for a More Rapid Microplastics Sampling and Analysis
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers tested a combination of an autonomous surface vehicle and a near-infrared hyperspectral imager to rapidly sample and identify microplastics on the Norwegian coast. Results compared favorably with standard FTIR analysis and demonstrated a repeatable method for assessing spatially variable microplastic concentrations in the marine environment.
Autonomous Microplastic Detection in Marine Environments Using a Sea Buoy-Controlled Drone with SWIR Spectroscopy
AI summary Read the abstract
This paper proposed an autonomous microplastic detection system combining a sea buoy and a drone equipped with short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectroscopy to monitor plastic pollution on ocean surfaces at scale. Autonomous drone-based detection systems could enable cost-effective, large-area mapping of floating microplastics that would be impractical to achieve with ship-based sampling alone.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.