Researchers exploit a NASA satellite to follow the microplastic of the Atlantic

The researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a way to use data collected by NASA satellites to follow the movement of tiny plastic pieces in the Atlantic Ocean. The plastic they follow are called microplastics and shapes when the plastic bin in the ocean begins to decompose from a combination of sun rays and the movement of ocean waves. Microwlastics are an important concern for the marine ecosystem that small parts are harmful for marine organisms and the ecosystem in general.

Strong currents in the ocean mean that microplastics can migrate hundreds or thousands of kilometers from the source of pollution, which makes the track difficult and deleting the material. The main source of information on the location of the microplastic comes from fishermen who use nets to catch fish and microplastics with the scooping involuntarily. However, researchers now use a new technique that exploits the overall navigation system of NASA Global Satellite Cyclone, a constellation of eight small satellites designed to measure wind speed above oceans.

Although the satellites are initially designed to collect information on the force of hurricanes, the radar used to measure the roughness of the oceans can be affected by factors, including wind speed and debris floating in the water. The researchers were able to work backward to search for places where the ocean was smoother than expected, given the wind speed, which they thought to indicate the presence of microplastics. Scientists have discovered that microplastics tended to be present in milder waters, demonstrating that satellite data could be used as a tool to follow the debris of space.

With the new tool to follow plastics, scientists will be able to easily determine when the source of pollution comes and potentially clean ocean pollution. The results of the study were published on 9 June in IEEE geoscience and remote sensing transactions.