MEDPLASTIC

Line of action, research and dissemination on plastic pollution in the Mediterranean Sea

Pellet-pollution-contaminacion-pellets

Pellets pollution

Leading the investigation and denouncing the presence of plastic pellets in the natural environment

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Documentals

In recent years we have made two documentaries that speak about the Mediterranean sea and plastic pollution.
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Expeditions

Since 2018 we have been documenting the health of the Mediterranean sea through various outreach and research expeditions

Pellets

Making an invisible problem visible

Good Karma Projects has been documenting and investigating the appearance of plastic pellets on the beaches of Tarragona since 2018. Plastic pellets, also known as nurdles or mermaid’s tears, are small spheres that are used as a raw material in the manufacture of almost all plastic items. Due to their small size (normally less than 5 mm) and poor practices, pellets are often “lost” at all stages of the plastic production and distribution chain (production, transport, recycling…).
Pellet contamination in the area is recurrent and constant. In February 2019 the organisation estimated that there could be up to 90 million pellets on La Pineda beach.

MEDPELLETS

Study about the state and dynamics of pellets pollution in the Western Mediterranean

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SAMPLES OBTAINED

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MONITORED BEACHES

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MONITORING MONTHS

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CITIZEN SCIENCE PARTICIPANTS

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NEW IDENTIFIED AREAS

The grant received this year through the Pleamar Programme has allowed us to start an eight-month study about the state and dynamics of plastic pellets pollution in the Western Mediterranean.

The objective: Create a knowledge base about the current state of pellets pollution on the south coast of Catalonia and the north of the Balearic Islands. Obtain evidence about the dynamics of this pollution to promote the design of more efficient countermeasures to prevent this primary microplastic from reaching the sea.

A project with the collaboration of the Biodiversity Foundation, (Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition
and the Demographic Challenge), through the Pleamar Program, co-financed by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)

Collaborate:

Other news:

Reports:

Plastic pellets pollution in Tarragona

European report by Surfrider Foundation Europe

documentaries

expeditions

The Good Karma Projects team has been carrying out recurring expeditions in the Mediterranean since 2018 with the aim of giving visibility to the problem of plastics in the Mediterranean through:

Visibility of the problem

Collect real data on the situation of plastic pollution, in order to give visibility to the problem.

Disclosure of information

Make people aware of pollution problems so that they appreciate the Mediterranean, and awaken the desire to commit to the environment.

Microplastics sampling

Analysis and quantification of microplastics with Manta Trawl.

microplasticos mediterraneo 2

Ghost nets sighting

The Good Karma Projects ship and crew are part of the ghost net sighting flotilla of the “Ghost Fads” project of the Save the Med foundation. The project focuses on the threat posed to pelagic species by fishing devices, ropes and marine litter adrift in the open sea.
The central action of the project analyzes through telemetry and in situ studies how artifacts move and how they interact with the open ocean ecosystem. This is to identify the main risk factors to prevent this threat at its source.

HELP US CONTINUE

Thank you for your Good Karma ♡