@misc{10498/35526,
year = {2024},
month = {9},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10498/35526},
abstract = {Anthropogenic litter, such as plastic, is investigated by the global scientific community from various fields employing diverse techniques. The goal is to assess and finally mitigate the pollutants’ impacts on the natural environment. Plastic litter can accumulate in different matrices of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, impacting both biota and ecosystem functioning. Detection and quantification of macroplastics, and other litter, can be realized by jointly using visual census and remote sensing techniques. The primary objective of this research was to identify the most effective approach for monitoring macroplastic litter in riverine and marine environments through a comprehensive survey based on the experiences of the scientific community. Researchers involved in plastic pollution evaluated four litter occurrence and flux investigation methods (visual census, drone-based surveys, satellite imagery, and GPS/GNSS trackers) through a questionnaire. Traditional visual census and drone deployment were deemed as the most popular approaches among the 46 surveyed researchers, while
satellite imagery and GPS/GNSS trackers received lower scores due to limited field validation and short performance ranges, respectively. On a scale from 0 to 5, visual census and drone-based surveys obtained 3.5 and 2.0, respectively, whereas satellite imagery and alternative solutions received scores lower than 1.2. Visual and drone censuses were used in high, medium and low-income countries, while satellite census and GPS/GNSS trackers were mostly used in high-income countries. This work provides an overview of the advantages and drawbacks of litter investigation techniques, contributing i) to the global harmonization of macroplastic litter monitoring and ii) providing a starting point for researchers and water managers approaching this topic. This work supports the selection and design of reliable and cost-effective monitoring approaches to mitigate the ambiguity in macroplastic data collection, contributing to the global harmonization of macroplastic litter monitoring protocols.},
publisher = {Elsevier},
keywords = {Monitoring techniques},
keywords = {Macrolitter survey},
keywords = {Harmonization},
keywords = {Land-retained plastic},
title = {Monitoring macroplastics in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems: Expert survey reveals visual and drone-based census as most effective techniques},
doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176528},
author = {Gallitelli, L. and Girard, P. and Andriolo, U. and Liro, M. and Suaria, G. and Martin, C. and Lusher, A.L. and Hancke, K. and Blettler, MCM and Garcia-Garin, O. and Napper, I.E. and Corbari, L. and Cózar Cabañas, Andrés and Morales Caselles, María del Carmen and González Fernández, Daniel and Gasperi, J. and Giarrizzo, T. and Cesarini, G. and De, K. and Constant, M. and Koutalakis, P. and Gonçalves, G. and Sharma, P. and Gundogdu, S. and Kumar, R. and Garello, N.A. and Camargo, A.L.G. and Topouzelis, K. and Galgani, F. and Royer, S.J. and Zaimes, G.N. and Rotta, F. and Lavender, S. and Nava, V. and Castro-Jiménez, J. and Mani, T. and Crosti, R. and Azevedo-Santos, V.M. and Bessa, F. and Tramoy, R. and Tramoy, M.F. and Corbau, C. and Montanari, A. and Battisti, C. and Scalici, M.},
}