Remote Sensing of Coastal Marine Plastic Debris
Jenna Guffogg is a PhD student in the department of Natural Resources. (Co)Promotors are prof.dr. A.K. Skidmore from the faculty Geo-information and Earth Observation (ITC) and prof.dr. S. Jones, dr. M. Soto-Berelov and dr. C. Bellman from RMIT University, Australia.
Plastic debris in marine and coastal ecosystems is a growing environmental challenge, but one that is difficult to track. Along remote shorelines and beaches plastics accumulate and become stranded, impacting local economies and wildlife. This thesis contributes insights into the use of shortwave spectral absorption characteristics to identify plastic debris that accumulates on remote shorelines. The findings help define which spectral characteristics of can successfully separate in-situ plastics, and also contribute a novel spectral index, enabling the identification of plastic debris on beaches through satellite imagery.
