The NOAA Marine Debris Program Announces the Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project Nationwide Survey Funded Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to announce the launch of the Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project Nationwide Survey, conducted in partnership with 1stMission LLC, and made possible with funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

A person walking along a shoreline using a measuring tape device to record a transect. — A Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project survey participant uses a measuring wheel to measure a survey site on the beach in Edmonds, Washington (Photo Credit: NOAA).

This survey, the first conducted by NOAA at this scale, will establish a scientifically valid assessment of marine debris found on U.S. shorelines, including the continental United States, Caribbean, Alaska, Pacific Islands, and Great Lakes, as well as a longer-term vision for documenting trends. This project represents an investment of over $3.3 million in federal funding for marine debris assessment, and continues the NOAA Marine Debris Program’s commitment to make tangible, beneficial impacts to coastal, marine, and shoreline habitats and communities across the nation.

The survey builds on decades of collaborative monitoring efforts with partner agencies, community groups, and participants through the NOAA Marine Debris Program’s Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project, and was informed by a rigorous scoping and design process that involved input from an external expert panel and statistical consultants.

Marine debris materials including cigarettes and various plastic materials surrounding a printed item categorization datasheet.

Marine debris pieces laid out on a sandy beach next to 15 centimeter rules.

Marine debris is a widespread pollution issue affecting the world's ocean, waterways, and coastal areas. It can injure or kill wildlife, degrade habitats, impact important seafood resources, interfere with navigational safety, and negatively affect local economies. Monitoring marine debris contributes to our understanding about the amounts, sources, and types of debris, where it accumulates, and if it is changing over time. This survey will help answer currently unaddressed questions, such as the amount of marine debris on shorelines in the United States at any given time and which regions have more or less debris. Monitoring data can help determine targets for prevention and mitigation, and can measure success in reaching those targets.

Marine debris collected from a cleanup spread out on a sandy beach while two volunteers record what was found on a datasheet. — Public participants in NOAA’s Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project sort debris items and record data at Nukoli’i Beach, Hawai’i (Photo Credit: K Stock, Kauai Surfrider).

For more information on the NOAA Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project Nationwide Survey, please visit the NOAA Marine Debris Program’s website. For updates, subscribe to The Wrack Line: Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project Newsletter.