OCEAN DIAGNOSTICS
Diagnosing our planet's greatest environmental threats
Our tools. YOUR power to make a difference. Together, WE create change.
Community Scientists are students, community members, beach cleanup volunteers and ocean enthusiasts who want to protect our planet from microplastic pollution.
Using science and technology developed by Ocean Diagnostics, Community Scientists collect and analyze microplastic data from their local sandy beaches to help identify and address solutions while helping to fill global data gaps.
WE ALL have the power to protect our planet from microplastic pollution
WHAT'S IN THE TOOLKIT?
Collect the microplastic pollution data needed to inform local and global solutions
DIGITAL RESOURCES
Educational resource about microplastic pollution and community science
Sandy beach microplastic sampling protocol
Data Evaluation Guide to identify the types of microplastics to better understand your community's litter sources
Communication and advocacy tools to address solutions
TECHNOLOGY & TOOLS
2 sieves (for the beach sampling)
1 Saturna Imaging System: the first-of-its-kind technology that uses machine learning to count and characterize the physical properties of visible microplastics from sandy beach samples
Access to the Mariana: a global open-access and collaborative microplastics database that provides heat maps and data visualizations to inform on hot spot locations and priorities for action
THE TECHNOLOGY
The Saturna Imaging System is the first-of-its-kind technology that uses machine learning to identify the physical properties of visible microplastics from sandy beaches.
Mariana is an open-access database that hosts the data and provides heat maps and data visualization tools to inform on location of hot spots and priorities for action.
Used together, Saturna and Mariana empower Community Scientists to fill global microplastic data gaps and contribute to meaningful solutions to stop plastic pollution at the source.
HOW IT WORKS
1. Order your Toolkit to receive all the resources, tools and technology you need to run a community science microplastic project.
2. Learn about microplastic pollution through a digital educational resource.
3. Collect microplastics from your local sandy beach using the scientific sampling protocol.
4. Image, upload and analyze your data using the Saturna Imaging System and Mariana Data Portal.
5. Identify the microplastic types in your community with the Data Evaluation Guide, then use your data to inform change at a local and global level.
6. Engage your community and decision makers while contributing to a global microplastics database.
WHY DATA?
The Data We Need for the Change We Want to See
Microplastics (pieces of plastic less than 5mm in size) have been found in all of Earth’s environments, our food, water, air and even our bodies. Cleaning up plastic pollution is important, but we must also prevent it from entering the environment in the first place.
To drive solutions, decision makers need more than global scientists alone can provide. Community Scientists can help to fill these data gaps by using the Microplastics Community Science Toolkit.
"Collecting data that can be used for advancing environmental policy is an exciting way to do real science, and make everyone feel a part of it. Engaging my fellow students in the microplastics sampling was a perfect way to extend our extracurricular activities in an educational and fun way."
