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Detection of exogenous floating marine debris: an overview of techniques associated with remote sensing
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This review surveyed remote sensing techniques for detecting floating marine debris including plastic litter, identifying current capabilities, limitations, and research gaps. The paper calls for development of a spectral reference library for marine debris to improve detection accuracy from satellite and aerial platforms.
Exogenous floating marine debris (EFMD) is a worldwide concern and its ubiquitous characteristics and long-term threat have raised calls for new venues to enable easier and prompt detection at large. The main focus of this paper is to evidence search and detection methods for EFMD using remote sensing techniques. This paper contributes to update research information in the topic under scrutiny and to screen for possible gaps to mitigate EFMD impacts. Several needs for research were found, and, before any work to establish the ground truth could take place, a spectral library model for EFMD going through several stages of biofouling must be created using passive or active research methods. Search methods need to be automated using empirical models based on stratified set-ups previously tested. Several sensors show potential for an indirect search for EFMD, but direct detection of EFMD using multispectral and radar instruments still needs further research through integration with conceptual and empirical modeling techniques.
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This review classified remote sensing approaches for detecting marine litter — including satellite, aircraft, and drone platforms with optical, infrared, and radar sensors — finding that few studies had reached operational status and that detecting small or submerged litter remains a major technical challenge.
Remote Sensing of Sea Surface Artificial Floating Plastic Targets with Sentinel-2 and Unmanned Aerial Systems (Plastic Litter Project 2019)
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Researchers tested remote sensing of floating plastic targets in a real marine environment using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and unmanned aerial systems during the 2019 Plastic Litter Project, collecting reference spectral data to help calibrate detection algorithms. The study provided a validated dataset characterizing the spectral behavior of floating plastics to support future remote monitoring efforts.
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Researchers evaluated the use of hyperspectral satellite and airborne imagery to detect floating plastic debris in rivers and oceans, addressing major challenges related to plastic spectral properties in field conditions. Remote sensing tools for plastic detection are important for large-scale monitoring of the macro-scale plastic that eventually becomes microplastics.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.