TRAP: Citizen science and numerical modelling to fight marine plastic pollution and improve environmental management

Plastics are increasingly present in the seas and oceans around the world. The Mediterranean, which is a semi-enclosed marine basin, is one of the seas that accumulates more tons of plastic waste from the continent each day, a situation that threatens biodiversity and marine ecosystems. Now, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC), the Universitat de Barcelona (UB), and the company Plastic at Sea are driving a citizen science project to better understand the origin and final destination of the plastic contaminants reaching the sea and to improve conservation strategies for the marine environment in the north-western Mediterranean.

The project Participatory Strategies for the Management of Transboundary Plastic Pollution on the Coast (TRAP) is led by the Marine Geosciences Research Group of the Faculty of Earth Sciences at the UB, and its main partners are the Maritime Engineering Laboratory (LIM) at the UPC and the plastic pollution quantification hub of the company Plastic at Sea.

The ultimate goal of the project is to provide managers with a monitoring and forecasting system for plastic distribution in this transboundary region (amount of marine litter entering or accumulating) that will help lead political actions to mitigate the impact of marine litter on a local and regional scale.

From the coasts of France to the Ebro Delta

Most of the plastic waste threatening the marine environment originates on the continent (rivers, beaches, discharges, etc.). The TRAP project will help preserve ecological values in the Mediterranean coastline within the coastal region of the Eastern Coastal Functional Area (AFLE), from the estuary of the Aude River (France) to the Ebro Delta in Tarragona. According to recent studies, marine plastics are present in this area both near major cities and far from the coast, probably due to the dispersion by the northern current flowing south from the Gulf of Lion, capable of transporting up to a trillion microplastic particles to southern latitudes.

To study plastic transport along the coasts, an open approach is sought, considering possible particle flows between countries. In the context of this project and its predecessor, the TRACE project, LIM researchers have developed numerical modelling tools for the dispersion and accumulation of marine waste in the Western Mediterranean region, from southern France to the Catalan coast. Measurements of plastic particle transport have been obtained through buoys that move with the currents and provide real-time position data. The relationship between water turbidity and microplastic concentration has also been studied to attempt to derive microplastic concentration information from satellite images. In this way, plastic concentration maps for the Western Mediterranean have been generated by combining plastic sampling carried out by researchers from UB and Plastic at Sea in Catalonia and France.

Citizen science and environmental commitment

Citizen science will also play a leading role in the plastic sampling methodology. This will allow for sampling in areas with higher geographical and temporal resolution, reducing project costs and increasing environmental awareness through citizen science.
Collaboration between institutions and citizens will facilitate the characterisation and monitoring of marine litter reaching the coast, especially from continental sources, and understanding the spatial and temporal distribution of waste in response to anthropogenic factors and environmental variables (tourism, weather, oceanography, etc.).

Impact

With this combined approach, TRAP will address various scientific and social challenges: understanding the mechanisms of plastic transport in the north-western Mediterranean coastal region, developing a tool to facilitate better waste management at the local and regional levels, and informing and at the same time raising awareness among society about plastic pollution.
TRAP is an opportunity to rethink environmental policies on both sides of the border. The joint work of partners, entities, and citizens will allow for a comprehensive assessment of the plastic pollution issue along the coastline beyond administrative boundaries, thus improving regional environmental policies for marine protection.

Budget and consortium

With a budget of nearly one million euros, the project will run from 2025 to 2028 and is co-funded within the framework of the INTERREG POCTEFA Programme, a European Union initiative to promote sustainable development in the border territory of Spain, France, and Andorra.