Archive: Science Update: Making a Marine Debris "MAP": Collecting Marine Debris Data with NOAA's Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project, September 18, 2025

Marine debris is a widespread pollution problem in our ocean and waterways. It can harm wildlife, habitats, and our economy. This issue is human-caused, but it also has human solutions. One of the best tools we have to combat marine debris is understanding the distribution, abundance, and types of debris in the marine environment. The Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project (MDMAP) is a NOAA initiative to measure the amount and types of marine debris on shorelines. Using this standardized collection method, suite of helpful resources, and publicly available data, participants and volunteers can detect differences in marine debris over time, inspire prevention efforts, and inform education and outreach.

In this web seminar participants will learn all about MDMAP and the importance of this data, including how findings can be used to help understand and address the global problem of marine debris.

All individuals receive a certificate of participation and 100 NSTA activity points for attending the live seminar and completing the end-of-program survey. A certificate of participation is not awarded for watching the recorded version of the program.

We invite you to register for upcoming web seminars at NSTA.

View the Archive Video

To view the presentation slides from the web seminar and related resources, visit the resource collection. Continue discussing this topic in the community forums.

Below are comments from individuals who attended the seminar:

  • "I appreciate how it broke down into easy steps how to get started and participate with the surveying program. It made the paperwork more understandable and feel less intimidating."
  • "I appreciate links to data as it helps students see real-world data collection!"
  • "I truly enjoyed the way Jess presented. It was easy to understand, clear and to the point."

A certificate of attendance was deposited into participants' account page for completing the evaluation form at the end of the program.

For more information contact us.

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