“This is incredibly exciting, as up to now we have not had a tool for detecting plastics in coastal environments from space.”
Plastic littered across the world’s beaches can now be detected from space.
Researchers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in Australia developed a new satellite imaging technique that can spot plastics on beaches by measuring differences in reflected light from the debris compared to the surrounding sand, water or vegetation, according to a statement from the university.
This technique was successfully field-tested by satellites observing a remote stretch of coastline in Australia. By looking for unique spectral features in plastics, the satellites were able to accurately identify it on the beach from more than 373 miles (600 kilometers) above. In turn, this satellite technology not only improves the detection of plastic debris, but can also aid cleanup operations to support vulnerable environments, like beaches, the researchers said.
By spotting plastic on remote beaches, new satellite technology could be used to help direct cleanup operations. (Image credit: RMIT University)
“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 cleanup operations, sometimes most needed in remote locations, have been held back by technological limitations,” Jenna Guffogg, lead author of the study, said in the statement.