Researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia have developed a new satellite imaging technique that can identify plastic on beaches by measuring the differences in light reflected by the debris compared to the surrounding sand, water or vegetation.
This technique has been successfully tested by satellites observing an isolated stretch of coast in Australia. By looking for unique spectral characteristics in the plastic, the satellites were able to pinpoint it on the beach from over 600 kilometers above sea level.
Thus, this satellite technology not only improves the detection of plastic waste, but can also support clean-up operations to protect vulnerable environments such as beaches, the researchers said, note Noi.md with reference to .
This research extends existing satellite technology used to detect floating plastic in the ocean. The team developed a new spectral index, called the Beach Plastic Debris Index, to identify patterns in reflected light collected by satellites as they pass over an area and identify plastic that can easily be mistaken for sand.
Data collected by the satellite showed that the new index was more effective at differentiating beach plastic than three other existing satellite technologies, which typically misclassified shadows or water as plastic.
