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Solutions

A Deep Dive into beach litter

Analyse the sources and pathways of the marine litter

Published 27.02.21

The Deep Dive portal for beach litter analysis can be used to document beach litter in detail and share the information with experts, authorities, managers and community members, both locally, nationally and across the circumpolar Arctic.

In addition to other details, the user can upload photos of marine litter into the portal. Photo by Eirik Heim.

Developed by SALT and GRID-Arendal, the Deep Dive portal provides a step-by-step guide that takes you through the process of collecting, analysing and disposing beach litter. The portal is free, easy to use and accessible for anyone interested in understanding- and finding solutions to the marine litter problem. Information on litter quantity, type, age and place of origin will help puzzle the pieces together on where the waste comes from, how it ended up in the ocean and why.

“It is only when we understand how and why marine litter ends up in our oceans that we can find the best solutions to stop polluting our waters.”

– Anna Sinisalo, one of the Deep Dive team members at GRID-Arendal.

By inviting relevant experts, industries, managers and community members to local beach cleaning events, the Deep Dive method ensures strong collaboration which is necessary to fully understand the pathways of the litter and to come up with solutions targeted to each specific case.

Although the Deep Dive portal has been developed for- and tested in the Arctic, Deep Dive has the potential to be expanded into other regions by slight modifications of the data entry forms, potentially creating an even greater impact on marine litter reduction at a larger scale.

Deep Dive portal is currently further developed by GRID-Arendal in collaboration with NIVA and SALT.

Header photo:

Rob Barnes / GRID-Arendal