Reproducible pipelines and readiness levels in plastic monitoring

Aliani, Stefano; Lusher, Amy; Galgani, François; Herzke, Dorte; Nikiforov, Vladimir; Primpke, Sebastian; Roscher, Lisa; Silva, Vitor Hugo da; Strand, Jakob; Suaria, Giuseppe; Vanavermaete, David; Verlé, Katrien; Witte, Bruno De; Bavel, Bert van

doi:10.1038/s43017-023-00405-0

Cited by 17 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…The need for the use of harmonised protocols for the sampling, processing and reporting of microplastics in environmental data has been voiced by many studies over the past years 9 , 38 . Generally, individual processes for the extraction, isolation, identification and quantification of microplastics in environmental samples are already harmonised and are presented in Fig.…”

Section: The Need For Harmonised Guidelines and Reportingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…metals, hydrophobic organic compounds), microplastics are diverse, consisting of many different polymer and associated chemical combinations 8 . This situation has led to a suite of methodologies (at varying Technological Readiness Levels) and no single standardised approach, with variations occurring at every step of the analytical chain and limited understanding of the consequence of the variation introduced with modifications to fundamental steps, making direct comparisons between datasets difficult 9 . Therefore, a large-scale, reliable international coordination of reporting and monitoring programmes for microplastics is needed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Creation of an international laboratory network towards global microplastics monitoring harmonisation

Bakir,

McGoran,

Silburn

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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Infrastructure is often a limiting factor in microplastics research impacting the production of scientific outputs and monitoring data. International projects are therefore required to promote collaboration and development of national and regional scientific hubs. The Commonwealth Litter Programme and the Ocean Country Partnership Programme were developed to support Global South countries to take actions on plastics entering the oceans. An international laboratory network was developed to provide the infrastructure and in country capacity to conduct the collection and processing of microplastics in environmental samples. The laboratory network was also extended to include a network developed by the University of East Anglia, UK. All the laboratories were provided with similar equipment for the collection, processing and analysis of microplastics in environmental samples. Harmonised protocols and training were also provided in country during laboratory setup to ensure comparability of quality-controlled outputs between laboratories. Such large networks are needed to produce comparable baseline and monitoring assessments.

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Section: The Need For Harmonised Guidelines and Reportingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Creation of an international laboratory network towards global microplastics monitoring harmonisation

Bakir,

McGoran,

Silburn

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Such methods should be assessed for their feasibility through validation approaches. Obstacles for optimized and harmonized monitoring include biological, environmental, methodological, logistical, analytical, and ethical constraints . Not all methods are suitable for different environmental matrices or plastic sizes nor are they accessible for all researchers around the world.…”

Section: Framework To Ensure a Comparative Approach Is Adopted By Nat...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These methods include assessments of beach litter (e.g., ref ), floating mesoplastics (e.g., ref ), and plastics ingested by seabirds (e.g., ref ). However, other methods such as those used for assessing microplastics in the atmosphere, are still undergoing research and development and not yet ready for monitoring on a broader scale. , …”

Section: Balancing and Aligning Scientific Advancement With Requireme...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Finding the Balance between Research and Monitoring: When Are Methods Good Enough to Understand Plastic Pollution?

Lusher

Primpke

2023

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Plastic pollution is an international environmental problem. Desire to act is shared from the public to policymakers, yet motivation and approaches are diverging. Public attention is directed to reducing plastic consumption, cleaning local environments, and engaging in citizen science initiatives. Policymakers and regulators are working on prevention and mitigation measures, while international, regional, and national bodies are defining monitoring recommendations. Research activities are focused on validating approaches to address goals and comparing methods. Policy and regulation are eager to act on plastic pollution, often asking questions researchers cannot answer with available methods. The purpose of monitoring will define which method is implemented. A clear and open dialogue between all actors is essential to facilitate communication on what is feasible with current methods, further research, and development needs. For example, some methods can already be used for international monitoring, yet limitations including target plastic types and sizes, sampling strategy, available infrastructure and analytical capacity, and harmonization of generated data remain. Time and resources to advance scientific understanding must be balanced against the need to answer pressing policy issues.

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A systematic review of state-of-the-art technologies for monitoring plastic seafloor litter

Sandra,

Devriese,

Booth

et al. 2023

Journal of Ocean Engineering and Science

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Reproducible pipelines and readiness levels in plastic monitoring

Cited by 17 publications

References 7 publications

Creation of an international laboratory network towards global microplastics monitoring harmonisation

Creation of an international laboratory network towards global microplastics monitoring harmonisation

Finding the Balance between Research and Monitoring: When Are Methods Good Enough to Understand Plastic Pollution?

A systematic review of state-of-the-art technologies for monitoring plastic seafloor litter

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