About Adventure Scientists Global Microplastics Initiative

Adventure Scientists, in partnership with College of the Atlantic, operates a citizen science program collecting microplastics data worldwide. The initiative aggregates occurrence data from multiple coordinated field projects in marine and riverine environments. This collaborative approach enables global-scale monitoring of microplastics distribution.

The platform combines observations from trained citizen scientists with standardized collection protocols. Furthermore, the resulting occurrence database tracks microplastics presence across diverse aquatic compartments. The data supports regional and global assessments of microplastics contamination patterns.

Key Features

• Also integrates data from multiple concurrent citizen science projects worldwide.
• Furthermore, covers both marine and freshwater river ecosystems systematically.
• In addition, provides public access to aggregated occurrence data through open data sharing.
• Additionally, enables researchers to identify microplastics hotspots and distribution trends.

Access and Data

The database operates on a read-only access model with full open data availability – upon request. Therefore, researchers and the public can freely download and analyze occurrence records without restrictions. Visit the Adventure Scientists microplastics portal to explore the database and view mapped collection sites.