Marine Litter
Marine litter is widespread and poses a threat to wildlife in and around the sea, and may also pose a risk to human health. Marine litter has recently gained significant attention and there is now a consensus for action. However, that requires more knowledge and a thorough understanding of this increasing global problem.
SALT maps quantities and transport of marine litter, and we identify sources and causes to litter ending up in nature. The knowledge we build is then transfered into concrete preventative measures or communicated to decisionmakers. We want to contribute to an efficient and knowledge-based monitoring of marine litter, and to be able to track changes over time. SALT also plays an important role in the development of new value chains for marine litter or plastic waste from maritime industries. Last, but not least, SALT is a key player in organising profsessional beach clean-ups in Norway.
Projects
Publications
News
Understanding the transport and retention of floating plastic debris in fjords and coastal systems is essential for targeted mitigation strategies. In our lates article published in Frontiers in Marine Science, we investigates surface transport dynamics in Storvika and Sundklakkstraumen, a tidally energetic system in the Lofoten archipelago, Northern Norway.
Read the article published in cooperation with Akvaplan-niva here.
Fifty European researchers, along with nearly as many engaged local residents, joined when SALT and NIVA invited to a boat trip in Raet this week! The occasion was the general assembly of the joint European Blue Connect Project, which focuses on the effective and equitable conservation of marine protected areas.
Steadily guided by Trygve Nordgaard from the Raet National Park Visitor Center, the trip offered wind in the hair, glimpses of sunshine, and lively discussions aboard the M/S Øya. The goal of the trip was to share knowledge and experiences about marine protected areas – with Raet being one of 12 European protected areas included in the project.