Marine litter windrow detection in the coastal Southeast using satellite imagery

Plastic pollution from human activity poses a threat to ocean ecosystems. Marine litter windrows (MLWs) are aggregations of floating debris that can include both anthropogenic plastic and organic material, and are often used as a proxy for plastic pollution in studies with large spatiotemporal scales or using remote detection methods. MLWs are transient features that tend to form long, thin, curvilinear shapes in regions of oceanic convergence and calm winds. If MLWs become large enough, they can be detected in freely available space-borne satellite imagery. This ongoing project assesses the suitability of the near-coastal waters of the southeastern United States for satellite-based MLW detection in terms of precipitation, wind speeds, and cloud cover. Additionally, examples of MLWs in the coastal Southeast are identified using the Windrows Spectral Index, a method recently developed for a study of MLWs in the Mediterranean, but not yet applied to other regions.