Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Paddle surfing for science on microplastic pollution: a successful citizen science initiative

Researchers used paddle surfers as citizen scientists to collect microplastic samples from near-shore coastal waters in the Mediterranean Sea, filling a gap in data from areas close to the coastline. The study demonstrates how citizen science can expand microplastic monitoring to locations that are difficult to access with conventional research vessels.

2021 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Participatory monitoring with VA'A canoes identifies key environmental factors driving microplastic distribution

Researchers used participatory monitoring with VA'A canoes to assess microplastic abundance, composition, and distribution in coastal environments, identifying key environmental, spatial, and temporal factors driving microplastic distribution while demonstrating the value of integrating water sports communities into scientific monitoring.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Rastreando microplásticos em águas costeiras: um estudo de fatores ambientais usando canoa havaiana

Researchers tracked microplastic (MP) pollution in coastal waters using Hawaiian outrigger canoes, studying how environmental factors influence MP distribution in zones where terrestrial and marine sources intensely interact. The work aimed to better understand MP dynamics in biodiverse coastal ecosystems subject to tourism, fishing, and navigation.

2025 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

The potential contribution of citizen science data in the study of coastal microplastic and mesoplastic distributions

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.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 Journal of Coastal Conservation 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic detectives: a citizen-science project reveals large variation in meso- and microplastic pollution along German coastlines

A citizen science project recruited volunteers to sample meso- and microplastics along German Baltic and North Sea coastlines, achieving spatial coverage far beyond what scientific teams alone could accomplish. Large variation in plastic pollution was found across sites, with some areas showing unexpectedly high concentrations linked to local sources and ocean circulation patterns.

2024 Frontiers in Environmental Science 6 citations
Article Tier 2

The sink is leaking! – Enabling citizen science for global mapping of microplastic leakage from coastal soils

Researchers designed a citizen science methodology to enable global mapping of microplastic leakage from coastal soils, providing standardized tools for volunteers to sample and quantify how coastal soil microplastic sinks release particles to marine environments through abiotic and biotic decomposition of macroplastics.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

The sink is leaking! – Enabling citizen science for global mapping of microplastic leakage from coastal soils

Researchers developed a citizen science framework for globally mapping microplastic leakage from coastal soils to marine environments, proposing standardized protocols that enable the public to document how microplastics transition from the terrestrial soil sink to ocean pathways via wind, wave, and current transport.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Citizen Science Protocol for beach plastic monitoring using aerial drones

Researchers developed a citizen science protocol using aerial drones to monitor plastic pollution on beaches. The study outlines systematic methods for community-based beach surveys to track the accumulation of plastic debris, from large items to microplastics, supporting environmental monitoring efforts along coastal areas.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Using citizen science to understand floating plastic debris distribution and abundance: A case study from the North Cornish coast (United Kingdom).

This citizen science study used a standardized methodology to monitor floating plastic debris off the Cornish coast of the UK, finding microplastic concentrations comparable to or higher than other European coastal regions. The study demonstrates that citizen science can generate useful, standardized data on plastic pollution in coastal waters.

2023 Marine pollution bulletin
Article Tier 2

Citizen Science for Assessment of Microplastics on Beaches: A Case Study in Mexico

Researchers used a citizen science approach involving 26 volunteers to assess microplastic abundance and type on Mexican beaches, providing broad geographic coverage at lower cost than traditional monitoring. Participants used standardized materials and training to collect and identify microplastics, generating a representative database that also raised public awareness of coastal plastic pollution.

2025 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Citizen Science Protocol for beach plastic monitoring using aerial drones

Researchers developed a citizen science protocol using aerial drones to monitor plastic pollution on beaches. The study outlines methods for engaging community volunteers in systematic beach surveys, aiming to improve the scale and frequency of plastic pollution data collection for environmental monitoring and policy development.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Testing citizen science as a tool for monitoring surface water microplastics

Researchers tested citizen science as a monitoring method for surface water microplastics in the Baltic Sea using a custom manta trawl aboard a sailing vessel, sampling at seven locations and finding microplastic concentrations from 0.45 to 1.98 MP/m², and evaluated the viability of integrating citizen science into large-scale MP monitoring programs.

2022 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 15 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Approaches to understanding and monitoring sources, distribution, and fate of plastic waste generated on the Peruvian coast

Researchers established monitoring approaches for plastic waste sources, distribution, and fate along the Peruvian coast through the REMARCO Regional Citizen Science Programme, quantifying inputs from Lima and Callao, mapping pollution pathways from sources to marine environments, and building national capacity for microplastic monitoring in sandy beaches.

2025
Article Tier 2

Students’ 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.

2023 Australian Journal of Environmental Education 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Monitoring Network in Islands and Coastal Zone

This crowdfunded project aims to establish a network of microplastic monitoring stations across island and coastal environments. Consistent, distributed monitoring is essential for understanding how plastic pollution varies across coastal regions and tracking changes over time.

2023
Article Tier 2

The Surfing for Science citizen science project: 5 years monitoring floating microplastics in the nearshore

Researchers reported five years of citizen science microplastic monitoring data from the Surfing for Science project, in which trained surfers and paddlers towed specially designed manta trawls in nearshore waters along the northern and northeastern Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands to track floating microplastic abundance and origin.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)