Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project (MD-MAP)

Transcription

1 Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project (MD-MAP) Sherry Lippiatt, Ph.D. 1,2, Courtney Arthur 1,2 1 NOAA Marine Debris Program 2 I.M. Systems Group 7th Annual Potomac Watershed Trash Summit 7 November 2012 Ocean Sciences Meeting February 24, 2012

2 Outline NOAA Marine Debris Program Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project (MD-MAP) 2011 Chesapeake Bay pilot project Japan tsunami debris monitoring network Monitoring: Why? How? NOAA s role

3 NOAA Marine Marine Debris Debris Program Program Vision: the global ocean and its coasts, users, and inhabitants free from the impacts of marine debris How? Research Assessment Removal Prevention Outreach & Education Regional Coordination: East and West Coasts, Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes, Alaska, Pacific Islands

4 NOAA Monitoring Protocols Major goals: degree of fouling & debris types Protocols designed to assess: Variability in the abundance of debris at local and regional levels The types and concentration of debris present by material category Temporal trends Impact Assessments Evaluate drivers of debris

5 MD-MAP Shoreline Protocol Four random 5 m wide transects sampled at low tide 20% of site sampled at any one time Count debris > 2.5cm Bottle cap size Separate protocol being developed for smaller debris Image: Cheshire et al Standing-stock survey for snapshot of debris density over time Debris abundance reflects the balance between inputs (land and sea based) and removal (through export, burial, degradation)

6 MD-MAP Surface Water Protocol 333 mm manta net 3 x 15 minute tow ~ 2 knots Avg ~ 750 m 3 filtered each tow Sieve through 5 mm and mm Small size fraction saved for later microplastics analysis (mass / vol)

7 Chesapeake Bay Pilot Project Types & abundance by material category Plastic Metal Glass Rubber Initial analysis based on surrounding land use Urban Mixed Rural / Agricultural Processed lumber Cloth/fabric Other

8 Chesapeake Bay Pilot Project RURAL/ AGRICULTURAL URBAN SUBURBAN/ MIXED Monthly sampling of shorelines and surface waters July December 2011

9 Results: Debris Types Shoreline Surface water

10 Results: Debris Types SHORELINE SURFACE WATER

11 Results: Temporal Trends Lower debris loads at suburban & rural sites Influence of episodic events

12 Results: Land Use * * Corsica (most rural site) shoreline and surface water median debris concentrations significantly different (p < 0.05) from the two urban locations (Mann- Whitney rank sum)

13 Tropical Storm Lee (Sept 2011)

14 Tropical Storm Lee (Sept 2011) Urban sites most impacted by Tropical Storm Lee SUBURBAN/ MIXED URBAN RURAL/ AGRICULTURAL

15 Tropical Storm Lee (Sept 2011) Episodic events can skew results

16 Pilot Study: Lessons Learned Debris types and abundances appear to correlate with watershed land use (e.g. Barnes 2005, Willoughby et al 1997, Evans et al 1995) Urban runoff versus local sources Surface water debris types similar across all sites Spatial and temporal variability in debris concentrations Confounded by many factors other than land use: rainfall, tides, winds, currents, beach structure, distance to source

17 Monitoring: Japan tsunami debris Is Japan tsunami debris adding to debris loads in the Pacific? 30 partners, > 100 sites May see shift in abundance or type Volunteers: training & communication

18 Monitoring: MD-MAP.net Request an account:

19 Monitoring: Why? To guide prevention (what s there?) To evaluate effectiveness of policies to prevent or mitigate (e.g., MARPOL Annex V) To quantify impacts (how much?) Physical Chemical Socioeconomic An outreach tool link to specific behaviors Studies should be implemented with a specific question in mind *Key link between research and prevention*

20 Monitoring: How? Standardized protocols What story are you trying to tell? (to whom?) Powerful and effective data and graphics Relative debris abundances, % stream miles impacted? Potential management action? Identify mitigation targets based on types, sources (higher priority) Evaluating effectiveness of debris control measures Identify hot spots to guide removal (low priority)

21 Monitoring: NOAA s role Disseminate protocols and tools Honolulu Strategy Monitoring protocols Coordination of efforts Facilitate data collection and analysis Standard protocols add context to local issues or initiatives Synthesis and communication of results Request a copy: MD.monitoring@noaa.gov

22 Thank You! marinedebris.noaa.gov Credit: John Lippiatt