Wasted shores: Using drones to monitor the spatio-temporal evolution of debris accumulation hotspots on South Africa's Umgeni River DOI Creative Commons

Tadiwanashe Gutsa,

Cristina Trois, Robin de Vries

et al.

The Science of The Total Environment, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 955, P. 176791 - 176791

Published: Oct. 9, 2024

Rivers are major contributors of plastic waste to the oceans. Running through northern part 1.3 million-inhabitants City Durban, South Africa, Umgeni River is estimated flush in order tens hundreds tonnes into Indian Ocean every year. The riverbanks lined with and other macro-waste accumulation zones formed due direct littering occasional deposition river debris loads. This study presents use Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) hydro-meteorological sensors (1) identify, quantify monitor such anthropogenic hotspots; (2) investigate influence rainfall, water level a flood event on spatio-temporal evolution hotspots, evidencing debris' availability leak Ocean. one-year aerial monitoring (2021-2022) hotspots shows that extreme hydrometeorological events have an immediate but short-term effect erosion stocks riverine systems. We observe reduction mean index changes hotspot surface area after flooding were 2-5 times higher than non-flood conditions. Despite visual evidence seasonality between wet dry season, only 'natural' type showed significant change. Our findings support reported inconsistencies macro-debris hydrological factors. Although data contributes baseline for River, future ground truth sampling finer scales important fully understand transfer mapping understanding their dynamics supports policymakers planning timing mitigate environmental pollution.

Language: Английский

The impact of floods on plastic pollution DOI Creative Commons
Tim van Emmerik

Global Sustainability, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 7

Published: Jan. 1, 2024

Abstract Non-Technical Summary Plastic harms ecosystem health and human livelihood on land, in rivers, the sea. To prevent reduce plastic pollution, we must know how plastics move through environment. Extreme events, such as floods, bring large amounts of into rivers around world. This article summarizes different flood types (excessive rainfall, high river flow, or floods from sea) flush deposit this impacts Furthermore, paper also discusses improved resilience to is important pollution. Technical pollution ubiquitous environment threatens terrestrial, freshwater, marine ecosystems. Reducing requires a thorough understanding its sources, sinks, abundance, impact. The transport retention dynamics are however complex, assumed be driven by natural factors, anthropogenic item characteristics. Current literature shows diverging correlations between discharge, wind speed, transport. However, have been consistently demonstrated impact dispersal. presents synthesis For each specific type (fluvial, pluvial, coastal, flash floods), identified driving mechanisms available literature. introduces plastic-flood nexus concept, which negative feedback loop (mobilizing plastics), (increasing risk blockages). Moreover, flood-driven was assessed, it argued that increasing reduces provides perspective importance global Increasing breaking crucial steps toward reducing environmental Social Media Floods transport, can reduced

Language: Английский

Citations

7
Remote Sensing for Monitoring Macroplastics in Rivers: A Review DOI Creative Commons
Ashenafi Tadesse Marye,

Cristina Caramiello,

Daniele Nardi

et al.

Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Water, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 12(2)

Published: March 1, 2025

ABSTRACT Given the exponential rise in global plastic production and its significant ecological socio‐economic impacts, monitoring macroplastics rivers has become a central focus of water management efforts. However, standardized methodologies are lagging behind rate waste currently entering aquatic systems on scale. This translates into shortage spatially temporally refined data macroplastic pollution circulating inland waters. Recent advancements remote sensing techniques, primarily satellites, UASs, fixed handheld cameras combined with crowd‐sourced automated detection using machine deep learning, offer promising opportunities for versatile solutions. Thus, this paper reviews state‐of‐the‐art approaches emerging methods identification to provide researchers comprehensive inventory techniques encourage scientific community harmonize define standard protocols. According our investigation, addressing challenges sensing‐based river mandates further efforts enhance integrate multiple platforms an emphasis long‐term monitoring.

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Meso and macroplastics present on the surface and soil of a stream bank in the Pampas Region of Argentina DOI

Agustina Grigera,

S. Montecinos, Sebastián Tognana

et al.

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 197(5)

Published: April 15, 2025

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Anthropogenic Macroscale and Microscale Debris (Including Plastics) Have Differing Spatial Distributions Across a Small Urban Watershed DOI
Natalie F. Hernandez, Elizabeth A. Hasenmueller

Environmental Engineering Science, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 41(12), P. 509 - 519

Published: Aug. 19, 2024

Anthropogenic litter in the environment is a globally pervasive contamination issue with harmful impacts on human and ecological health from exposure to both macroscale (≥5 mm) microscale (<5 litter. To assess prevalence, distribution, drivers of plastic nonplastic environment, we assessed anthropogenic abundance characteristics at 10 sites across an urban catchment (Deer Creek near St. Louis, MO) October 2022. Macroscale was evaluated within channel bed, stream water sediment were sampled microparticle content. The all macrolitter types ranged 0.03 1.42 counts/m2, while 0.00 0.61 counts/m2. Plastic films (e.g., bags) most common (34.7%) type that found. Microparticles below limit detection sites, they had concentrations ranging 84.28 counts/kg (with confirmed detections 6 sites). abundances watershed did not correlate, suggesting different sourcing distribution for two debris size categories. Macroplastics correlated strongly positively impervious surface area discharge, implying combined influence land use hydrology their deposition. Our findings suggest relationship between might vary depending local transport mechanisms.

Language: Английский

Citations

2
Wasted shores: Using drones to monitor the spatio-temporal evolution of debris accumulation hotspots on South Africa's Umgeni River DOI Creative Commons

Tadiwanashe Gutsa,

Cristina Trois, Robin de Vries

et al.

The Science of The Total Environment, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 955, P. 176791 - 176791

Published: Oct. 9, 2024

Rivers are major contributors of plastic waste to the oceans. Running through northern part 1.3 million-inhabitants City Durban, South Africa, Umgeni River is estimated flush in order tens hundreds tonnes into Indian Ocean every year. The riverbanks lined with and other macro-waste accumulation zones formed due direct littering occasional deposition river debris loads. This study presents use Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) hydro-meteorological sensors (1) identify, quantify monitor such anthropogenic hotspots; (2) investigate influence rainfall, water level a flood event on spatio-temporal evolution hotspots, evidencing debris' availability leak Ocean. one-year aerial monitoring (2021-2022) hotspots shows that extreme hydrometeorological events have an immediate but short-term effect erosion stocks riverine systems. We observe reduction mean index changes hotspot surface area after flooding were 2-5 times higher than non-flood conditions. Despite visual evidence seasonality between wet dry season, only 'natural' type showed significant change. Our findings support reported inconsistencies macro-debris hydrological factors. Although data contributes baseline for River, future ground truth sampling finer scales important fully understand transfer mapping understanding their dynamics supports policymakers planning timing mitigate environmental pollution.

Language: Английский

Citations

1