Remote Sensing Revolutionizes Plastic Pollution Monitoring in Freshwater

Q&A Forum

Remote Sensing Revolutionizes Plastic Pollution Monitoring in Freshwater

Asked by terryaster at 7:20am on Jan 4 2025

Researchers from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have conducted a groundbreaking study demonstrating how remote sensing can monitor and aid in removing plastic debris from freshwater systems like the Mississippi River.

The study, titled "A Hyperspectral Reflectance Database of Plastic Debris with Different Fractional Abundance in River Systems," was published in Scientific Data and advances the understanding of how plastic behaves in freshwater environments.

While plastic pollution in oceans has been widely recognized as a major environmental challenge, pollution in freshwater systems like rivers and lakes has received less attention. However, much of the plastic in oceans originates from rivers, underscoring the need for targeted interventions upstream.

Traditional methods for removing plastic waste involve labor-intensive sampling, which is costly and time-consuming. To address these limitations, the research utilized remote sensing technology, which offers a cost-effective and wide-reaching solution. By analyzing spectral reflectance properties—wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum—the technology can identify and classify specific types of plastic while filtering out natural materials like seaweed, sediment, driftwood, and water foams.

"This technology enables us to identify multiple types of plastics in water simultaneously, providing critical data for deploying tools like drones to collect and remove debris," explained Mohammadali Olyaei, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering and lead author of the study.

The research was conducted at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, which allowed the team to test their methods under realistic Mississippi River conditions. Using a remote sensing platform, including a spectroradiometer and a DSLR camera, they monitored and classified various types of plastic debris based on their unique spectral signatures.

"If we develop effective technology to capture plastic debris at the Mississippi headwaters in Minnesota, we can protect downstream regions and even prevent plastic from reaching the ocean," said Ardeshir Ebtehaj, Associate Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering and the study’s corresponding author. "Once plastics spread, their removal becomes increasingly difficult."

This pioneering approach holds promise for reducing freshwater plastic pollution and mitigating its downstream impacts on oceans, offering a scalable model for addressing this global challenge.

Brick + Beam Detroit

Q&A Forum