Researchers at RMIT University, Australia, have developed a new tool that uses satellite imagery to detect plastic waste along shorelines from space, addressing one of the most concerning environmental issues of today. This tool is called the Beached Plastic Debris Index (BPDI) and can differentiate plastics on beaches from space using a distinctive technology that studies the patterns of light reflection in the satellite image.

The Rise of Plastic Pollution

The world is facing a plague in the form of plastic pollution. It is estimated that over 10 million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans every year and is expected to increase by 60 million tonnes by 2030. This overwhelming influx has resulted in the formation of various plastic patches in the oceans, like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is made up of 1.8 trillion pieces of trash. However, it is safe to say that oceans are not the only places getting inundated by plastic, as the beaches are just as heavily polluted and impact the local ecosystems and marine life.

Dr. Jenna Guffogg, the study’s lead author, stated, “Plastics can be mistaken for food, larger animals become entangled, and smaller ones, like hermit crabs, become trapped inside items such as plastic containers,” highlighting the severe impacts of plastic debris on wildlife and their habitats.

She said, “Remote island beaches have some of the highest recorded densities of plastics in the world, and we’re seeing increasing volumes of plastics and derelict fishing gear on the remote shorelines of northern Australia.”

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What is this New Technology?

The Beached Plastic Debris Index (BPDI) is a spectral index, a mathematical formula that aids in categorizing patterns of reflected light captured by satellites as they traverse a region to highlight certain features of interest in the image. It enables the identification of plastics even when they are blended with sand on beaches by capturing the differences in the way sand, water, and plastics reflect light. BPDI implements data from the WorldView-3 satellite, which orbits Earth at 617 km, to scan broad shorelines and identify plastic waste.

BPDI underwent testing on an isolated beach in Victoria, Australia. 14 plastic targets, which were smaller than the satellite’s pixel size of around 3-meter square each, comprised of different kinds of plastic, were set up on the beach by researchers. Three current indices were compared with the satellite photos taken using the new index; two of them were made for identifying plastics on land, and one was made for identifying plastics in water. The BPDI excelled at each of them, with the others either failing to distinguish plastic-contaminated pixels on the beach or incorrectly identifying shadow and water as plastic.

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Significance of BPDI

Dr. Mariela Soto-Berelov, a co-author of the study, explained the potential of the tool, stating, “The beauty of satellite imagery is that it can capture large and remote areas at regular intervals,” which is essential for monitoring plastic accumulation over time.

She added, “Detection is a key step needed for understanding where plastic debris is accumulating and planning clean-up operations, which aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals, such as Protecting Seas and Oceans.”

According to her, BPDI’s promising results are exciting because we haven’t had a tool for detecting plastics in coastal environments from space until now.

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Future Plans

To prevent plastic debris from polluting beaches, researchers plan to test BPDI in real-world settings and look for partnerships with environmental groups. The ultimate goal is to protect the coastlines from plastic pollution by focusing cleanup efforts on areas identified by satellite monitoring.

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