Yellow spot indicating plastic on the blue satellite image of an otherwise pristine beach.(RMIT University via SWNS)
By Dean Murray via SWNS
Researchers have developed a new method for spotting plastic rubbish on beaches and successfully field-tested it on a remote stretch of coastline.
The satellite imagery tool developed by Melbourne’s RMIT University scientists picks up differences in how sand, water and plastics reflect light, allowing plastics to be spotted on shorelines from more than 600km above.
Satellite technology is already used to track the massive amounts of plastic floating around oceans – from relatively small drifts containing thousands of plastic bottles, bags and fishing nets, up to gigantic floating trash islands like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is three times the size of France.
However, the satellite technology used to spot plastic floating in water doesn’t work so well in spotting plastic lying on beaches, where it can easily blend in with the sand.
Tim Hüfner
This latest advance, published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin, means we now have an effective way to spot plastic on beaches, where it can be more easily accessed and removed by clean-up operations.
RMIT says we’re currently sending over 10 million tons of plastic trash into oceans every year. It’s estimated that by 2030 that figure could reach 60 million.
Study lead author, Dr Jenna Guffogg, said plastic on beaches can have severe impacts on wildlife and their habitats, just as it does in open waters.
“Plastics can be mistaken for food, larger animals become entangled and smaller ones, like hermit crabs, become trapped inside items such as plastic containers,” she said.
“Remote island beaches have some of the highest recorded densities of plastics in the world, and we’re also seeing increasing volumes of plastics and derelict fishing gear on the remote shorelines of northern Australia.”
A picture of plastic on a beach from the study. (RMIT University via SWNS)
Dr. Guffogg said if these plastics are not removed, they inevitably fragment further into micro and nano plastics.
“While the impacts of these ocean plastics on the environment, fishing and tourism are well documented, methods for measuring the exact scale of the issue or targeting clean-up operations, sometimes most needed in remote locations, have been held back by technological limitations,” she said.
Study co-author, Dr Mariela Soto-Berelov, said: “We’re looking to partner with organisations on the next step of this research; this is a chance to help us protect delicate beaches from plastic waste.”
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