Installation of a video station in the estuary of the Adour

To face the global challenge of marine litter, as it is the purpose of this project, we need data on where this marine litter is and where does it come from. For this purpose we have different kind of approximations like the recollection of ML by vessels through the coast or the recollection with volunteers through the beaches inside the OSPAR campaigns.

But today we want to introduce you to the monitoring of marine litter in rivers. Inside the LEMA project we wanted to track marine litter before it enters the sea and thus we wanted to monitor the marine litter carried by the rivers. For this purpose, we installed a video station in the river Oria, in the south of the Bay of Biscay.  And now we are pleased to announce that we have installed another one on the Adour river thanks to our partner Kostagarbia.

 

Those video stations record all the materials that pass floating in the river currents, and with an algorithm we can detect floating marine litter going in the stream. With those cameras tracking FML we can get information about the amount of ML which is being discharged into the sea through these rivers.

The project also aims to be replicable in other places, and we have the intention of placing another camera in Marseille, for the Mediterranean coast. The good news is, as the previous video stations are working so well and are really giving interesting results, we already have installed the 3rd camera in Marseille with the help of our partners Rivages Pro Tech from Suez and AZTI.

We will keep you inform about the results, meanwhile we continue working against Marine Litter. Join us in our social networks!