This PhD research investigates how coastal marine dynamics and fluvial transport influence the distribution of macroplastics in the Strait of Messina, Southern Italy. The Strait connects the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas and is known as one of the regions with the highest concentrations of marine litter globally. This accumulation is largely driven by strong marine currents and the presence of Fiumara—steep, torrential rivers that can carry significant amounts of litter during flash floods.
To study this, the research adopts a multidisciplinary approach, combining meteorological data, aerial and UAS imagery, and machine learning. By analyzing rainfall data and aerial images, I aim to assess river discharge and its role in litter distribution, while also identifying possible seasonal trends. Aerial imagery will offer a broad spatial overview, while UAV surveys will capture detailed visuals of macroplastics. A machine learning algorithm will be developed to detect plastic in these images, enabling efficient analysis of large datasets and offering insights into the potential sources of the litter.
During fieldwork, multispectral data was also collected to evaluate its usefulness in detecting and classifying different types of marine litter. Additionally, this research explores the parallels between the behavior of plastics and sediments under marine dynamic processes, aiming to uncover any meaningful correlations. This novel perspective introduces what can be considered the sedimentology of plastics.
Aerial images of the litter accumulation
Orthophoto of the litter accumulation from UAS images
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