Assessing the detection of floating plastic litter with advanced remote sensing technologies in a hydrodynamic test facility

A. de Fockert, M. A. Eleveld, W. Bakker, J. M. Felício, T. S. Costa, M. Vala, P. Marques, N. Leonor, A. Moreira, J. R. Costa, R. F. S. Caldeirinha, S. A. Matos, C. A. Fernandes, N. Fonseca, M.D. Simpson, A. Marino, E. Gandini, A. Camps, A. Perez-Portero, A. GongaO. Burggraaff, S. P. Garaba, M.S. Salama, Q. Xiao, R. Calvert, T. S. van den Bremer, P. de Maagt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

35 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Remote sensing technologies have the potential to support monitoring of floating plastic litter in aquatic environments. An experimental campaign was carried out in a large-scale hydrodynamic test facility to explore the detectability of floating plastics in ocean waves, comparing and contrasting different microwave and optical remote sensing technologies. The extensive experiments revealed that detection of plastics was feasible with microwave measurement techniques using X and Ku-bands with VV polarization at a plastic threshold concentration of 1 item/m2 or 1–10 g/m2. The optical measurements further revealed that spectral and polarization properties in the visible and infrared spectrum had diagnostic information unique to the floating plastics. This assessment presents a crucial step towards enabling the detection of aquatic plastics using advanced remote sensing technologies. We demonstrate that remote sensing has the potential for global targeting of plastic litter hotspots, which is needed for supporting effective clean-up efforts and scientific evidence-based policy making.
Original languageEnglish
Article number25902
JournalScientific reports
Volume14
Issue number1
Early online date29 Oct 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2024

Keywords

  • ITC-GOLD
  • ITC-ISI-JOURNAL-ARTICLE

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Assessing the detection of floating plastic litter with advanced remote sensing technologies in a hydrodynamic test facility'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this