Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing threats to our global oceans. From providing us with half of the oxygen we breathe and stabilizing our climate, to feeding over one billion people worldwide, the oceans are vital to our everyday wellbeing. However, each year an unprecedented amount of plastic litter- an average of 8 mln tonnes - make their way to the marine realm, having devastating consequences for wildlife and compromising our ecosystem's health. Because 80% of plastic litter is estimated to originate from land, we can all take action towards a healthier future for our environment and ourselves by tackling our individual plastic footprint. A 2018 study found that 1.1 billion of single-use items including bags and cups filled Metro Vancouver landfills - equivalent of 400 items per resident (source: TRI Environmental Consulting)

Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing threats to our global oceans. Our shorelines have many plastics that may end up in oceans and other water bodies. Identify and forecast plastic accumulatoin and help plan for volunteers and events for shoreline cleanups.

Dataset (prototype for a global marine litter baseline)
European Environmental Agency's Marine Litter Watch Program, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project's accumulation report, and Ocean Conservancy's Trash Information and Data for Education Solutions Database.

Apply predicitve modelling to platic pollution data set.

1. Monitoring and Assessment Project: Get Started Toolbox https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/research/monitoring-toolbox
2. Marine LitterWatch https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/europes-seas-and-coasts/assessments/marine-litterwatch#tab-news-and-articles
3. Earth Challenge Integrated Data: Plastic Pollution (MLW, MDMAP, TIDES) https://cscloud-ec2020.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/data-earth-challenge-integrated-data-plastic-pollution-mlw-mdmap-tides-?geometry=-90.455%2C-68.714%2C95.170%2C81.701