An output image from the processor side-by-side with a true colour RGB composite from Copernicus Sentinel-2 of the plastic target. The Copernicus Sentinel-2 pixel, mostly covered by the target, is flagged by the processor in yellow, as likely containing plastic.

Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2019)/processed by ARGANS Limited Drone image – University of Aegean

Sentinel-2 imagery of plastic pollution off the coast of Ghana. The top image is an enchanced 'true colour' image, and the bottom image uses the Floating Debris Index (FDI) which helps the plastic debris become more visable

Lauren Biermann / PML

Top: A frontal area east of the Po River Delta, Italy. Bottom: litter strands after land-based rainfall events on an area south Calabria, Italy (bottom left image has been processed with the sea mask removed to show visible RGB rendering of the sea surface, where floating marine debris can be seen highlighted in red).

Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2018) processed by ARGANS Ltd in the European Space Agency project EO tracking of marine debris in the Mediterranean Sea

Aggregations of mixed floating material off the south Gabriola Island coastline, Canada, with a number of bright pixels pinned in different colours to differentiate aggregations or patches.

Copernicus Sentinel-2 image processed by PML in the European Space Agency project OPTIMAL (data analysis supported also by NEODAAS-NERC, UK)

Sentinel-2 imagery of plastic pollution off the coast of Scotland. The left image is an enchanced 'true colour' image, and the right image uses the Floating Debris Index (FDI) which helps the plastic debris become more visable

Lauren Biermann / PML

Aerial images of large ML items taken by a high resolution camera over the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Ian Carnelli, et al., 2018

Aerial imagery used for mapping coastal debris

Kirsten Moy, et al., 2018

Henderson Island, captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2B satellite on 22 March 2018. On Henderson Island , items from as far afield as Russia, USA, Europe and South America have been found.

contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2018), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Density and distribution of debris on the main Hawaiian Islands

Kirsten Moy, et al., 2018

Concentrations of plastic litter in surface waters of the global ocean and the Mediterranean Sea at basin scale

Cozar et al., 2015