Citizen Scientists Map Global Hotspots of Coastal Plastic Pollution Across 39 Countries

Overview of the study and data sources

Portsmouth-led analysis draws on data from the Big Microplastic Survey (BMS), one of the largest citizen-science efforts to study coastal pollution. The project analyzed 1,089 surveys across 39 countries collected between 2018 and 2024, totaling nearly 59,000 plastic items retrieved from coastlines.

"Plastic pollution is a global crisis with regional differences in challenges." - Dr. David Jones, Lead Author, University of Portsmouth

Global patterns and regional differences

The work identifies sharp regional differences in the types and concentrations of plastics found, including microplastics such as pellets and bio-beads, underscoring that coastal pollution is not uniform around the world.

"The study maps global patterns of coastal microplastic and mesoplastic distributions, with regional differences in plastic types and concentrations." - Dr. David Jones, Lead Author, University of Portsmouth

Citizen science in policy and practice

The researchers discuss the power and limits of citizen science for informing policy, noting coverage gaps and the need for standardized methods to improve comparability across sites and projects.

"Citizen science is powerful for informing policy but has limitations that must be addressed." - Dr. David Jones, Lead Author, University of Portsmouth

Implications and next steps

The findings point to region-specific policy actions and areas where data collection can be improved to better track coastal plastic pollution globally.

"Reducing coastal plastic pollution requires region-specific strategies informed by citizen-science data." - Dr. David Jones, Lead Author, University of Portsmouth