Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Mapping the plastic legacy: Geospatial predictions of a microplastic inventory in a complex estuarine system using machine learning

Researchers applied machine learning techniques to develop geospatial predictions of microplastic inventory in a complex estuarine system, overcoming the limitations of coarse ocean basin models by accounting for the intricate geomorphological and hydrodynamic conditions that govern sediment-associated microplastic distribution.

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

Spatiotemporal Forecasting and Environmental Driver Modeling of Marine Microplastic Pollution: an Interpretable Deep Learning Approach for Sustainable Ocean Policy

Researchers developed an interpretable deep learning model integrating historical microplastic sampling data, seasonal patterns, and large-scale ocean-atmosphere climate indices to forecast spatiotemporal marine microplastic distribution, identifying climate drivers and offering a policy-relevant tool for ocean pollution management.

2025
Article Tier 2

Mapping the Plastic Legacy: Geospatial Predictions of a Microplastic Inventory in a Complex Estuarine System Using Machine Learning

Researchers applied machine learning geospatial modelling to predict microplastic distribution across a complex estuarine system, using sediment samples as a training dataset to generate spatial inventory maps of microplastic accumulation. The model leveraged the estuary's role as a land-sea interface and plastic accumulation bottleneck to produce high-resolution predictions of microplastic hotspots for monitoring and management purposes.

2024
Article Tier 2

Riverine Microplastic Quantification: A Novel Approach Integrating Satellite Images, Neural Network, and Suspended Sediment Data as a Proxy

Researchers developed satellite-based models using neural network algorithms to estimate riverine microplastic concentrations, using suspended sediment concentration as a proxy, offering a cost-effective approach for broad-scale freshwater microplastic monitoring.

2023 Sensors 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic deposits prediction on Urban Sandy Beaches: Integrating Remote Sensing, GNSS Positioning, µ-Raman Spectroscopy, and Machine Learning Models

Researchers integrated remote sensing, GNSS altimetric surveys, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and machine learning models to predict microplastic deposition patterns on urban sandy beaches along the central Sao Paulo coastline, finding MP concentrations ranging from 6 to 35 MPs/m2.

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

Coastal Marine Debris Detection and Density Mapping With Very High Resolution Satellite Imagery

Researchers used high-resolution satellite imagery combined with machine learning to detect and map coastal marine debris density in southern Japan, finding that satellite-based methods can estimate debris amounts and types on beaches with reasonable accuracy.

2022 IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficient and accurate microplastics identification and segmentation in urban waters using convolutional neural networks

Researchers developed convolutional neural network models for efficiently identifying and segmenting microplastics in urban water samples from southern China. The study found that deep learning approaches can significantly reduce the time and labor required for microplastic identification compared to manual methods, offering a scalable tool for monitoring microplastic pollution in urban waterways.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Automatic detection and quantification of floating marine macro-litter in aerial images: Introducing a novel deep learning approach connected to a web application in R

Researchers developed a convolutional neural network-based algorithm to automatically detect and quantify floating marine macro-litter in aerial images, training it on 3,723 images and integrating it into a web application for practical monitoring use.

2021 Environmental Pollution 100 citations
Article Tier 2

Decoding the PlasticPatch: Exploring the Global MicroplasticDistribution in the Surface Layers of Marine Regions with InterpretableMachine Learning

Researchers applied four interpretable machine learning algorithms to a calibrated global marine microplastic dataset to construct a predictive model of surface-layer microplastic distribution, finding that biogeochemical and anthropogenic factors are the dominant drivers of global marine microplastic pollution patterns.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of microplastic pollution in urban lentic ecosystem using remote sensing, GIS, and Support Vector Machine (SVM): relevance for environmental and ecological risk

Researchers assessed microplastic pollution in 24 urban ponds and lakes in Kolkata, India, finding significantly higher concentrations during the post-monsoon season, with fibers making up about 59% of all particles. They developed machine learning and remote sensing models that achieved up to 98% accuracy in identifying water bodies and predicting microplastic levels from satellite imagery. The study demonstrates that combining field sampling with remote sensing technology can enable large-scale monitoring of urban microplastic pollution.

2026 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Article Tier 2

Towards Detecting Floating Objects on a Global Scale with Learned Spatial Features Using Sentinel 2

Researchers developed a machine learning approach using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery to detect floating plastic debris and marine litter on a global scale, demonstrating that learned spatial features can improve detection of large aggregations of floating objects on water surfaces.

2021 ISPRS annals of the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences 28 citations
Article Tier 2

A novel filtering method for geodetically determined ocean surface currents using deep learning

Researchers used deep learning to improve the accuracy of ocean current maps derived from satellite measurements of sea level and gravity. Better ocean current mapping helps scientists track where microplastics travel and accumulate in the ocean once they enter from rivers and coastlines.

2023 Environmental Data Science 1 citations
Article Tier 2

GoogLeNet-Based Deep Learning Framework for Underwater Microplastic Classification in Marine Environments

Researchers trained a GoogLeNet deep learning model on underwater images to classify microplastics into four categories, achieving strong classification performance for primary microplastics, secondary microplastics, non-microplastic debris, and marine biota in turbid coastal waters.

2025
Article Tier 2

Decoding the Plastic Patch: Exploring the Global Microplastic Distribution in the Surface Layers of Marine Regions with Interpretable Machine Learning

Researchers used interpretable machine learning algorithms to predict global marine microplastic distribution patterns based on calibrated field data. The study found that biogeochemical and human activity factors had the greatest influence on microplastic concentrations, which ranged from about 0.2 to 27 particles per cubic meter across the world's oceans, providing a framework for pollution management and decision-making.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatiotemporal graph neural networks for analyzing the influence mechanisms of river hydrodynamics on microplastic transport processes

Spatiotemporal graph neural networks were applied to model how microplastic contamination spreads across connected water bodies over time. This AI-driven modeling approach can improve real-time prediction and management of microplastic pollution in river and lake networks.

2025 Scientific Reports 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluating Microplastic Pollution Along the Dubai Coast: An Empirical Model Combining On-Site Sampling and Sentinel-2 Remote Sensing Data

Researchers collected coastal water samples from Dubai and combined laboratory spectral measurements with Sentinel-2 satellite imagery to build a model that estimates microplastic concentrations from space. The model achieved an R² of 87% and was used to map microplastic pollution trends along the Dubai coast from 2018 to 2021. This remote-sensing approach demonstrates a scalable method for monitoring coastal microplastic pollution over large areas without intensive fieldwork.

2024 Journal of Sustainable Development of Energy Water and Environment Systems 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Estimating microplastic concentrations in surface water using satellite-based turbidity measurements: a case study on the New River, VA

Researchers used satellite-derived turbidity measurements as a proxy for microplastic concentrations in the New River, Virginia, developing and validating a model that enables broader spatial and temporal monitoring of riverine microplastic pollution without intensive field sampling.

2025 VTechWorks (Virginia Tech)
Article Tier 2

Prediction of microplastic abundance in surface water of the ocean and influencing factors based on ensemble learning

Researchers used machine learning to predict microplastic levels in ocean surface waters and identify the key factors driving contamination. Their models found that geographic location, ocean currents, and proximity to populated coastlines were major predictors of microplastic abundance. This approach could help scientists map pollution hotspots without costly and time-consuming physical sampling.

2023 Environmental Pollution 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection of Waste Plastics in the Environment: Application of Copernicus Earth Observation Data

Researchers developed a machine learning classifier using free Copernicus satellite data to detect plastic waste — including greenhouses, tyres, and waste sites — in both aquatic and terrestrial environments, achieving high accuracy and enabling low-cost large-scale plastic pollution mapping.

2022 Remote Sensing 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Deposits Prediction on Urban Sandy Beaches: Integrating Remote Sensing, GNSS Positioning, µ-Raman Spectroscopy, and Machine Learning Models

Researchers used remote sensing, GNSS positioning, Raman spectroscopy, and machine learning to predict microplastic deposition on urban beaches along the Sao Paulo coastline in Brazil. Microplastic concentrations ranged from 6 to 35 particles per square meter, with the highest densities near the Port of Santos linked to industrial activities. The predominant types were foams, fragments, and pellets, and machine learning models showed high predictive accuracy for mapping their distribution.

2025 Microplastics 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Waste on Water Surfaces Detection Using Convolutional Neural Networks

Researchers evaluated state-of-the-art convolutional neural network architectures for automatically detecting plastic waste on water surfaces, training models on a dataset representing four categories of plastic litter including plastic bags. The study benchmarked multiple CNN object detection models following extensive dataset preprocessing to determine the most effective approach for automated plastic pollution identification.

2024
Article Tier 2

Application of machine learning in assessing spatial distribution patterns of soil microplastics: a case study of the Bang Pakong Watershed, Thailand

Machine learning models were applied to predict spatial distribution patterns of microplastics in soils across a Thai watershed, identifying land use types and proximity to water bodies as key factors driving contamination levels.

2023
Article Tier 2

Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Oil Spill Impact and Recovery Pattern of Coastal Vegetation and Wetland Using Multispectral Satellite Landsat 8-OLI Imagery and Machine Learning Models

Researchers used Landsat 8 satellite imagery and machine learning to assess the spatial extent and recovery trajectory of oil spill damage to coastal vegetation and wetlands in Nigeria, demonstrating that remote sensing combined with AI models can track long-term ecosystem recovery.

2020 Remote Sensing 75 citations
Article Tier 2

Machine learning for aquatic plastic litter detection, classification and quantification (APLASTIC-Q)

Researchers developed APLASTIC-Q, a convolutional neural network system trained on very high-resolution aerial imagery from Cambodia, capable of detecting, classifying, and quantifying floating and washed-ashore plastic litter — providing a scalable tool for remote monitoring of aquatic plastic pollution.

2020 Environmental Research Letters 115 citations