New partnership for detecting ocean plastics from space

Iranpolymer/Baspar EyeSea, a New Zealand-based non-profit organisation dedicated to mapping ocean pollution, is partnering with Swiss technology company Grundo to detect ocean plastics from space.

EyeSea developed a mobile app targeted at seafarers to report maritime pollution. Launched in 2020, the app allows crews to voluntarily submit photos and locations of polluted areas across the world.

Now, Grundo is contributing its expertise in satellite image spectrometry to bring the project to new heights. Satellite image spectrometry uses satellites orbiting the Earth to analyse the spectrum of light reflected from our planet’s surface. By capturing and processing this data, the technology can identify specific materials based on their unique spectral signatures.

The partnership will use Grundo’s technology to detect and track marine plastic and hydrocarbon pollutants floating in oceans.

The concept has already been successfully demonstrated in Greenland and Parry Island in Canada. Grundo’s satellite images detected debris on a beach in Parry Island and seafarers at Sylvia Earle, an Aurora Expeditions vessel, recovered a single plastic bag from that exact location. They also recovered rope in Greenland.

“Our partnership with Grundo represents a major leap forward in Eyesea’s mission to develop a portfolio of tech tools to support pollution monitoring and recovery,” said Graeme Somerville-Ryan, Co-Founder of Eyesea. “Incredibly, we now can detect even small pieces of plastic from space. This transforms how we address environmental hazards, both in terms area and location.”

The technology is already being deployed to support clean-up works and monitoring in the Galapagos Islands, home to unique marine ecosystems. Frente Insular, a local conservation organisation, is using the data to promptly identify pollution in remote locations and coordinate community-driven recovery work.

“Our satellite image spectrometry technology is designed to provide unparalleled accuracy in environmental monitoring,” said Dr Miller Mendoza Jiménez, Co-founder and CTO of Grundo. “We are working with Eyesea to add Grundo’s spectrometry overlay to their analytics platform. We are thrilled to see it making a real difference in identifying and mitigating pollution,” he concluded.

Around 12 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean every year, according to Eunomia research. A recent study by Dutch scientists revealed that most of this waste is floating at the surface, raising hopes that it can be collected by ocean clean up initiatives.

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