2025/08/09 by Georg Hanke, Miquel Canals, R. Nakajima +38 · 1 voice
Environmental Science · #Microplastics and Plastic Pollution #Recycling and Waste Management Techniques #Water Quality Monitoring Technologies
paper · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.118500
openalex publication_date 2025/08/09 · openalex created_date 2025/08/12 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Following a number of meetings devoted to knowledge sharing, identification of key issues, and discussing the best ways to move forward, a wide international expert community is now able to provide recommendations regarding the monitoring of seafloor macrolitter through observation and imaging. As the seafloor constitutes a major sink for marine litter including plastics, it is important to acquire robust and extensive data on litter distribution, abundance, types and size ranges across marine habitats. This should be done through widely agreed, harmonised, and non-destructive methods encompassing advanced technologies. Training and capacity building are essential elements in this endeavour. Both new and legacy imagery are needed to establish baseline assessments and trends. Informing policy-making is indispensable for effective action through upstream and targeted measures, with seafloor macrolitter (and megalitter) being a vital part of the evidence base for global mitigation measures. Infographic: From survey planning to data archiving and use. • Trend assessments of marine litter pollution must include seafloor macrolitter. • A global system for harmonised monitoring and data management must be set up. • Legacy and new imagery data from multiple sources should be used for assessments.