Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Jun;187(6):335.
doi: 10.1007/s10661-015-4473-y. Epub 2015 May 9.

Sampling of riverine litter with citizen scientists--findings and recommendations

S Rech  1 , V Macaya-Caquilpán, J F Pantoja, M M Rivadeneira, C Kroeger Campodónico, M Thiel
Affiliations

Sampling of riverine litter with citizen scientists--findings and recommendations

S Rech et al. Environ Monit Assess. 2015 Jun.

Abstract

The quantity and composition of litter at riversides and in the surface waters, as well as the occurrence of illegal dumping sites, were studied along four rivers in Chile. Data generated by volunteers were compared to the results from a professional survey, using an identical protocol. Litter was found in considerable quantities at the riversides and in the surface waters at all the sites investigated. A generalized linear mixed model analysis showed that the recorded litter densities did not differ between volunteers and professionals, even after controlling for river, site, or distance between sampling locations, demonstrating that the volunteers successfully applied the sampling protocol. Differences occurred with respect to litter composition, which is most likely due to difficulties in the classification of litter items and particles and to the underestimation of litter present in surface water samples. Even though this study was only conducted at a small number of rivers and sites, a comparatively consistent pattern of direct and intentional litter deposition at riversides was recorded, highlighting that river basins require more protection. The results also show that the citizen science approach can be a suitable means for more extensive litter surveys at riversides and in other natural environments.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Nature. 2013 Feb 14;494(7436):169-71 - PubMed
    1. Mar Pollut Bull. 2014 Aug 15;85(1):156-63 - PubMed
    1. Mar Environ Res. 2013 Mar;84:76-83 - PubMed
    1. Environ Monit Assess. 2012 May;184(5):3239-57 - PubMed
    1. Environ Monit Assess. 2011 May;176(1-4):273-91 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources