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Papers
20 resultsShowing papers similar to Schools against plastics: Schooling environmentally conscious students and supporting research on marine litter and microplastics
ClearStudents’ attitudes towards the environment and marine litter in the context of a coastal water quality educational citizen science project
Middle school students who participated in a citizen science project monitoring coastal water quality and microplastic pollution showed significantly more positive environmental attitudes afterward compared to a control group. The study suggests that hands-on engagement with real microplastic research can be an effective way to build environmental awareness in young people.
Can we investigate microplastic pollution with school students? Experiences from eight years of citizen science research
Researchers reported on eight years of citizen science microplastic research conducted with school students through the Plastic Pirates program, sharing methodological experiences and lessons learned from involving more than 24,000 participants across Germany and other European countries in rigorous environmental monitoring.
Addressing data gaps in marine litter distribution: Citizen science observation of plastics in coastal ecosystems by high-school students
The COLLECT citizen science project (2021-2022) trained high school students in seven African and Asian countries to sample and analyze macro-, meso-, and microplastics on beaches, generating open-access baseline data on coastal plastic pollution in regions with previously limited monitoring coverage.
Citizen observation of plastic pollution in coastal ecosystems to address data gaps in marine litter distribution
Researchers launched the COLLECT citizen science project in seven African and Asian countries, training 15-18 year-old students to sample and analyze macro-, meso-, and microplastics in beach sediments using standardized scientific protocols, while simultaneously measuring shifts in ocean literacy and pro-environmental behavior to quantify the educational impact of the intervention.
A nationwide assessment of plastic pollution in the Danish realm using citizen science
Researchers conducted a nationwide citizen science assessment of plastic pollution across Denmark, Greenland, and the Faeroe Islands, with approximately 57,000 school students collecting 374,082 plastic items across eight nature types in 94 of 98 Danish municipalities. The study demonstrated that student-led citizen science can fill important knowledge gaps in land-based plastic litter monitoring beyond beach surveys.
Exploring the sea environment of the Gulf of Patras
Researchers conducted an educational project with secondary school students to study microplastic pollution in the Gulf of Patras, Greece, collecting seawater samples from shore, offshore, and river-mouth locations to document contamination patterns as part of an EU Erasmus environmental awareness program.
Having fun and raising awareness: Italian students monitor airborne microplastic in school environments
An Italian educational project involved high school students in monitoring airborne microplastic passive deposition inside and outside school buildings, finding that students became more aware of their personal role in microplastic pollution while generating real data on indoor and outdoor MP concentrations.
Can we investigate microplastic pollution with school students? Experiences from eight years of citizen science research
Researchers shared eight years of experience from the Plastic Pirates citizen science program involving over 24,000 school students and teachers in microplastic research across Germany, addressing challenges of contamination prevention, particle size, and sample processing in non-laboratory settings. The study evaluated the feasibility and scientific validity of engaging young citizen scientists in standardized riverine microplastic monitoring.
Marine litter education: From awareness to action
An educational intervention on marine litter designed for students from primary to high school level, incorporating lab work and a beach clean-up, significantly changed participants knowledge, perceptions, and behavioral intentions as measured by pre- and post-questionnaires.
Communication strategies in an international school citizen science program investigating marine litter
This case study describes the communication strategy of the international Litter Scientists citizen science program, which trains schoolchildren in Chile and eleven other countries to survey plastic litter on beaches and in rivers. Engaging students in real microplastic and marine litter monitoring simultaneously builds scientific literacy and generates valuable environmental data across regions that are otherwise under-sampled.
Accuracy of a Simple Microplastics Investigation Method on Sandy Beaches
This study assessed whether high school students using simple, low-cost tools (tape measures, cardboard, and seawater instead of heavy laboratory liquids) could accurately survey microplastic levels on sandy beaches. Results showed high accuracy — up to 89% particle recovery using seawater alone — suggesting that citizen science beach monitoring programs can generate reliable data. Democratising microplastic monitoring is important for scaling up environmental surveillance beyond what professional researchers can cover.
Comparison of the macro-, meso- and microplastic pollution in French riverbanks and beaches using citizen science with schoolchildren
Researchers conducted a citizen science initiative with French schoolchildren to compare macro-, meso-, and microplastic pollution across 86 riverbank and beach sites, finding that riverbanks accumulated distinct plastic assemblages compared to beaches. The study demonstrated that schoolchildren can generate reliable comparative litter data, and highlighted rivers as underrepresented yet critical plastic transport pathways to the ocean.
Microplastic Pollution in the Coast of Tarragona, Spain: A Western Mediterranean Study
Researchers, including students as part of a citizen science project, collected and analyzed water and sand samples along the Tarragona coast of Spain, finding that tiny microplastics under 3mm dominated sea water samples and that plastic pellets — called nurdles — made up over half the anthropogenic waste by weight found in beach sand. The study highlights significant microplastic contamination in a Western Mediterranean coastal zone.
The sampling and analysis of coastal microplastic and mesoplastic: Development of a citizen science approach
This study designed, developed, and tested a citizen science approach to microplastic and mesoplastic data collection on coastal beaches to address scale and coverage limitations of traditional research methods. Results showed non-expert participants could collect comparable data to researchers, expanding monitoring capacity across undersampled coastlines.
Citizen science program and contamination by anthropogenic marine debris in the coastal marine zone – Huanchaco
This citizen science study measured marine debris on a Peruvian beach and found that 78% of debris was plastic, at a density of 2.35 items per square meter. University student participants showed good environmental awareness, demonstrating the potential for public engagement programs to support marine debris monitoring.
Microplastics in the Environment: Raising Awareness in Primary Education
This study developed and evaluated a microplastics education program for primary school children, finding that age-appropriate lessons about plastic pollution could meaningfully increase students' environmental awareness. The authors argue that early education is a key component of long-term plastic pollution reduction strategies.
Integrating Community Service into Student Learning: A Model Event of a Plastic Waste Cleanup
Despite its title referencing plastic waste, this paper describes an educational outreach program combining beach cleanup events with classroom lectures on plastic recycling and sustainability — not original scientific research on microplastic pollution. It examines how community service can be integrated into student learning experiences and is not relevant to microplastics science or human health impacts.
Have You Ever Seen a Microplastic? A Collaborative High School–Academia Approach for Identification, Quantification and Raising Awareness of Microplastics in a River Crossing Urban Area
Researchers designed a high school–university collaboration where students collected water samples from an urban river, identified microplastics by microscopy, and contributed to local pollution mapping — demonstrating that student-led citizen science can meaningfully advance microplastic monitoring while raising environmental awareness.
Microplastic Pollution in the Coast of Tarragona
Students and educators in Tarragona, Spain conducted a citizen science study measuring microplastic concentrations in coastal seawater and beach sand. The study found microplastics at all sampling sites, demonstrating that even relatively less industrialized Mediterranean coastal areas face significant microplastic pollution.
Volunteer microplastic sampling in Puget Sound: strategies for broad inclusion, education, and research
This paper describes a volunteer microplastic sampling program in Puget Sound, Washington, examining strategies for community participation and data quality in citizen science monitoring of marine plastic pollution. The program demonstrates how broad public involvement can generate spatially extensive environmental data at low cost.