Crowd Sourcing Plastic Pollution Data Through Citizen Science

A citizen science program called Nurdle Patrol has recorded plastic pellet concentrations along beaches, lake shorelines, riverbanks, and railroads from volunteers conducting 10-minute surveys. Over 7,000 volunteers have collected over 16,000 surveys at over 6,500 sites across the United States, Mexico, and 24 other countries to help identify possible sources of the plastic pellets (nurdles). Nurdles are small plastic pellets that are the basis of almost everything plastic. Nurdles look like food to animals causing possible intestinal blockage and/or starvation if eaten, and they absorb harmful chemicals in the environment that are known to have negative impacts on fish and wildlife. Other benefits to the Nurdle Patrol program include removal of nurdles from the environment, creating an awareness about the nurdle issue, and using citizen science data in management decisions. This presentation will focus on Nurdle Patrol efforts by citizen scientists, what the data is showing, and future direction of the program in changing policy about plastics reaching the ocean.

About the Presenter

Jace Tunnell is the director of the Mission-Aransas Reserve at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute where he has been since 2014. Prior to this, he was the director of research and planning at the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program for close to a decade, managing wetland restoration projects and water quality projects. Jace is the founder of a citizen science project called Nurdle Patrol that tracks plastic pellet concentrations internationally to create awareness of plastics in the ocean and develop new policy based on the data. Jace currently serves as president of the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association that advocates for the 30 Reserves around the country. His conservation efforts include educating the public about plastic pollution, estuarine science, and protection of our natural resources. Jace received a Master’s degree in Marine Biology from Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi in 2001.