March 22, 2021 — On March 8, Peter Murphy, the Alaska for the Marine Debris Program, presented as part of an expert panel on marine litter monitoring at the International Symposium on Plastics in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic. 

This five-day conference, which was held in a virtual online format, brought together researchers, policy makers, stakeholders, experts, and organizations active on the marine litter issue to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities of marine litter in the Arctic. Sessions covered a wide range of topics, including observed impacts, operational efforts, and ideas for future actions. For each session, presentations were pre-recorded for advance viewing, with the active session time dedicated to discussion by presenters in response to questions from the moderator and the viewing audience.

The March 8 session focused on monitoring for marine litter in the Arctic. Along with representatives from across multiple Arctic nations and projects, Peter presented on and discussed the unique actions, challenges, and opportunities of monitoring marine litter in Alaska. This included the challenge of data collection in remote locations and limiting weather conditions, and the criticality of local knowledge which can inform understanding of marine litter deposition patterns and target monitoring or removal efforts.  

For more information, please contact Peter.Murphy@noaa.gov.

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