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Citizen science: A way forward in tackling the plastic pollution crisis during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic
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Researchers called for expanded citizen science participation in plastic pollution monitoring during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that pandemic-related disruptions to formal research programs created critical data gaps that community data collection could help fill for globally informed mitigation strategies.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented surge of production, consumption, and disposal of single-use plastics (SUPs) and personal protective equipment (PPE) by the public. This widespread use of mostly plastic items like face masks and disposable gloves has led to global reports of improper disposal of potentially infectious PPE both in our urban and natural environments. Due to international travel restrictions during the pandemic, many research programs targeted at measuring plastic pollution were halted. These disruptions to research programs have stunted the ability to assess the true quantities of SUPs and PPE being mismanaged from the waste stream into the environment. This article calls for increased citizen science participation in collecting plastic pollution data both during and post pandemic. By initiating this dialogue and raising attention to the importance and potential of citizen science data collection, data can be used to develop globally informed plastic pollution mitigation strategies.
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Plastic detectives and wildlife guardians
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Researchers examined who participates in citizen science programs monitoring plastic pollution and wildlife, finding that plastic monitoring attracts primarily highly educated volunteers while wildlife rehabilitation centers engage a more socioeconomically diverse group — and that social-media observations provided novel data on plastic impacts during the COVID-19 pandemic when formal monitoring was disrupted.
Making citizen science count: Best practices and challenges of citizen science projects on plastics in aquatic environments
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This paper reviews best practices and challenges for citizen science projects focused on plastic pollution in aquatic environments, finding that while citizen science can effectively gather large-scale data and raise public awareness, data quality and consistency remain significant challenges.
Citizen Science for Monitoring Plastic Pollution from Source to Sea: A Systematic Review of Methodologies, Best Practices, and Challenges
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This systematic review examines how citizen science programs track plastic pollution from land to sea. The research found that while public participation greatly expands data collection, inconsistent methods and data quality issues limit the scientific usefulness of the results. Better-designed citizen science programs could help communities monitor and respond to the microplastic pollution in their local environments.
Citizen Science in Plastic Remediation: Strategies, Applications, and Technologies for Community Engagement
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This systematic review summarizes how citizen science — everyday people collecting data and participating in cleanup efforts — is being used to fight plastic pollution. It finds that community involvement produces valuable large-scale data on microplastic distribution and helps drive local policy changes.
The potential contribution of citizen science data in the study of coastal microplastic and mesoplastic distributions
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Researchers analyzed citizen science data from the Big Microplastic Survey to assess the potential contribution of volunteer-collected observations to understanding coastal microplastic and mesoplastic distribution patterns, evaluating data quality and spatial coverage relative to conventional scientific monitoring.
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.