Plastic garbage is growing at a rapid rate. According to data compiled by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), every 365 days around 11 million tons of waste of all kinds, but especially plastic, are dumped into the oceans. And of all possible solid waste, plastics are the most abundant in the sea and on the coasts, since they represent almost 80% of the total. Precisely, to try to deal prematurely with this problem, a team of Argentine scientists has just completed the first test to see if it is possible to detect, locate and monitor the presence of pieces of plastic floating in the sea, based on satellite images. .
That plastic is something ubiquitous is not news. According to data published by the Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, in the first two decades of our century, 50% of the plastic that was manufactured in all of history was already produced. And from the two million tons per year that were produced around 1950, we have now grown to more than 450 million. Forecasts indicate that, if this rate continues, said amount will double by 2050.
Of course, their damage is not in doubt. According to the 6th edition of the Marine Coastal Garbage Census carried out by Mundo Marino in the province of Buenos Aires, plastic turned out to be the most common contaminant (73.7%) from the beaches. And in a recent article published by Verónica García, a specialist in Marine Ecosystems from the NGO Fundación Vida Silvestre ArgentinaIt can be read “in our country plastic waste arises at least 32 marine species that are damaged by their ingestion and entanglements”.
humans we are not exempt from damages. Due to the degradation of the sun, the sea and microorganisms, plastics break into fragments and become microplastics (less than 5 mm) and nanoplastics (less than 1 um). These can be consumed by marine organisms and thus the contamination enters the trophic web and reaches people. In fact, recent research has shown that blood, lungs, colon, placenta, fecal matter, and even breast milk contain microplastics.
just to try prevent For this problem, a team of experts was assembled that includes professionals from the National Commission for Space Activities (conae), the National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development (Inidep) and the Naval Prefecture. “It is a project sponsored by the European Space Agency that seeks to verify if it is possible to detect floating plasticsfrom the analysis of satellite images”, he explained to PROFILE Sebastian Heredia, Head of the Advanced Development Area in the Technological Linkage Management of Conae. And he added: “In this first campaign we were able to detect on land crates of fish and bottles (some of the most characteristic residues observed on beaches and waters) to obtain the spectral signature of these elements.” Then they boarded, and at precise points in the ocean, about five kilometers from the coast of Mar del Plata, the scientists floated plastic crates like those used by the fishing industry and which were grouped together to form a kind of “plastic island” that they towed while the satellites took pictures.
These shots are currently being analyzed to verify if it is possible to put a point in an algorithm capable of “reviewing” the images in an automated way and detecting the presence of plastic floating in the open sea. “For now there are no specific tools for this task,” explained Heredia. “If we can get it up and running, it would be really useful for monitoring these spontaneously forming ‘plastic islands’ that move through water.”
The scientific tests were made with satellite images made within the optical spectrum, from the passes made by the Sentinel 2 satellite belonging to the European Space Agency. Also using images taken by SPOT satellites, specialized in remote sensing for civil uses.
In addition, if necessary, these locations of garbage observed from satellites could be complemented with drone photographs that would even serve to identify the type of floating garbage. With its presence, relative size and composition detected, it is possible to follow its course and –eventually– planning some preventive action to collect garbage and dispose of it in a truly sustainable way.
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