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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Participatory monitoring with VA'A canoes identifies key environmental factors driving microplastic distribution
ClearRastreando 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.
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.
Testing Kayakers as Citizen Scientists for monitoring microplastics in the coastal marine environment
Researchers tested recreational kayakers as citizen scientists for coastal microplastic monitoring by deploying mini-manta nets in the Ligurian Sea alongside traditional manta nets towed by research vessels across five sampling campaigns beginning March 2021. They found that microplastic abundances in nearshore areas sampled by kayak-towed mini-manta nets were on average higher than offshore samples, with no significant differences in shape, size, and composition between the two sampling approaches.
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.
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.
Testing Kayakers as Citizen Scientists for monitoring microplastics in the coastal marine environment
Researchers tested the feasibility of using kayakers as citizen scientists to monitor microplastics in coastal marine environments through the 'MicroPlastic Hunters Project' in Italy, equipping volunteers with mini-manta nets to collect nearshore surface water samples starting in March 2021. The project demonstrated that recreational water sports participants could effectively fill spatial monitoring gaps left by conventional research vessel-based methods.
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.
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.
The Surfing for Science citizen science project: 5 years monitoring floating microplastics in the nearshore
Researchers reported five years of data from the 'Surfing for Science' citizen science project monitoring floating microplastics in the nearshore waters of northern and northeastern Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, with participants towing specially designed manta trawls from paddleboards and kayaks. The project collected over 400 samples and characterised microplastics by size, shape, colour, and polymer type, sharing results via Instagram with mapped transect data.
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.
Participatory Social Mapping with Ethnic Communities to Identify Factors Associated With Microplastics in a Protected Area on the Northern Coast Of Colombia
Researchers used participatory social mapping with Indigenous and ethnic communities in a protected coastal area of Colombia to identify local hotspots of microplastic contamination, including wastewater discharge points and waste dumping sites, demonstrating that community knowledge is a valuable tool for environmental monitoring.
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.
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.
Determining global distribution of microplastics by combining citizen science and in-depth case studies
This study combined citizen science sampling data with in-depth field studies to build a better global picture of microplastic distribution. The approach shows how large-scale volunteer monitoring can extend spatial coverage far beyond what professional researchers can achieve alone.
Linking the Tourism Activity to the Occurrence and Distribution of Microplastics
Researchers assessed microplastic abundance, type, and spatial distribution in coastal water, sediments, and fish across three zones of Gili Trawangan, Indonesia, finding that tourism-related activities concentrated microplastics at recreational beaches with concentrations reaching 19.25 particles/L.
Citizen science sampling programs as a technique for monitoring microplastic pollution: results, lessons learned and recommendations for working with volunteers for monitoring plastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems
Volunteers monitored microplastic contamination along 550 km of the Ottawa River in Canada using a standardized method, finding microplastics at almost every sampling site. Citizen science programs like this show promise for scaling up microplastic monitoring at low cost.
Microplastic distribution and composition on two Galápagos island beaches, Ecuador: Verifying the use of citizen science derived data in long-term monitoring
Researchers validated a citizen science methodology for monitoring visible microplastic contamination on Galapagos island beaches using standardized quadrat sampling, comparing citizen-generated data with expert surveys over multiple years. The approach was found to produce reliable data for long-term monitoring while reducing costs, supporting its use in logistically challenging remote locations.
Can cycling help clean up microplastics from beaches and conserve coastal ecosystems?
This crowdfunded research project proposes using cycling along beaches as a method to collect microplastic debris while supporting coastal ecosystem conservation. The project aims to combine active transportation with environmental monitoring and cleanup as a novel community-based approach.
Combining citizen and conventional science for microplastics monitoring in the White Sea basin (Russian Arctic)
Researchers combined citizen science volunteers with conventional scientific methods to document microplastic contamination across 13 remote locations in the White Sea basin of the Russian Arctic, finding plastic particles primarily composed of PE, PET, and PVC at average concentrations of 1.14 particles/m.