Marine Litter Tracking System: A Case Study with Open-Source Technology and a Citizen Science-Based Approach

Abstract

It is well established that most of the plastic pollution found in the oceans is transported via rivers. Unfortunately, the main processes contributing to plastic and debris displacement through riparian systems is still poorly understood. The Marine Litter Drifter project from the Arno River aims at using modern consumer software and hardware technologies to track the movements of real anthropogenic marine debris (AMD) from rivers. The innovative “Marine Litter Trackers” (MLT) were utilized as they are reliable, robust, self-powered and they present almost no maintenance costs. Furthermore, they can be built not only by those trained in the field but also by those with no specific expertise, including high school students, simply by following the instructions. Five dispersion experiments were successfully conducted from April 2021 to December 2021, using different types of trackers in different seasons and weather conditions. The maximum distance tracked was 2845 km for a period of 94 days. The activity at sea was integrated by use of Lagrangian numerical models that also assisted in planning the deployments and the recovery of drifters. The observed tracking data in turn were used for calibration and validation, recursively improving their quality. The dynamics of marine litter (ML) dispersion in the Tyrrhenian Sea is also discussed, along with the potential for open-source approaches including the “citizen science” perspective for both improving big data collection and educating/awareness-raising on AMD issues.

Interdependence in Coastal Tourist Territories between Marine Litter and Immediate Tourist Zoning Density: Methodological Approach for Urban Sustainable Development

“…While MSFD codes (acronym for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive of the European Union) have been used, providing a framework for the classification of marine litter in the European Union region, there are other international codes such as the ICC (International Coastal Cleanup) code that includes volume parameters, GESAMP codes (Group of Experts on Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection) that classify according to the type of waste, and OSPAR codes (Commission for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic) [58]. Also of relevance are the codes used by global underwater clean-up actions [62] associated with foundations and sports federations, such as PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) through its AWARE program [63]. At the national level in Spain, references from SEBUCIU (Spaniard Society of Scientific and University Diving) and those developed by the Ecopuertos project from SCUBA-LIFE, the University Scientific Section for Logistical Support to Research, are significant.…”

Feasibility Study for the Development of a Low-Cost, Compact, and Fast Sensor for the Detection and Classification of Microplastics in the Marine Environment

“…We think it worthwhile to stress again the advantage of using consumer and readily available technologies for the microplastic sensor here presented; this fact allows for the direct involvement of common citizens in the Big Data acquisition process in this field, and raises awareness of the marine microplastic pollution problem and dimension. For example, the sensor could be realized in the frame of projects, such as the Italian "alternanza scuola lavoro" ("school-work internship", now identified in Italy by the acronym PCTO), where numerous schools have already been successfully involved by the Authors in the collaborative development of simple tools for marine pollution monitoring [56]. Taking a cue from these approaches, we would also like to involve the community of the so called "makers ", i.e., a large class of different people (technology enthusiasts, educators, thinkers, inventors, engineers, authors, artists, students, artisans, etc.…”

The Smart Drifter Cluster: Monitoring Sea Currents and Marine Litter Transport Using Consumer IoT Technologies

“…Some tests have been made to investigate the feasibility of using the wireless communication technology adopted for MARTA smart drifters to study the diffusion (in the sea) and the distribution of accumulation points (on the beaches) of marine debris, akin to the MLTs already quoted in the introduction [ 9 ]. This topic is considered, according to ISPRA and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, one of the main indicators to be monitored in order to define the “Environmental Status” of our seas and coastal areas.…”

“…This topic is considered, according to ISPRA and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, one of the main indicators to be monitored in order to define the “Environmental Status” of our seas and coastal areas. Early results have shown that marine litter has a strong dependence on wind rather than on surface sea currents, depending on its shape [ 9 ]. This also implies a considerable dispersion of anthropogenic objects transported by rivers once they are released into the sea, and this must be taken into account in the design of Smart Drifter Clusters dedicated to this specific study.…”

“…Very simple types of these drifters are marine litter trackers (MLTs) [ 9 ]. In effect, MLTs are objects representing different types of real “marine litter”, such as wooden boards and plastic bottles of different shapes and volumes.…”