NOAA Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project Shoreline Survey Guide

Abstract

Marine debris is a widespread pollution problem in the ocean and waterways. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program (MDP) is the United States Government’s lead for addressing marine debris and serves as a centralized marine debris resource, coordinating and supporting activities among federal, state, and local agencies, tribes, non-governmental organizations, academia, and industry. Shoreline monitoring is needed to identify and compare amounts, locations, movement, sources, and impacts of marine debris across the United States and internationally. Monitoring data can be used to inform and assess debris prevention and mitigation measures. The NOAA MDP developed standardized marine debris shoreline survey protocols that were first published in 2012 as the Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project (MDMAP)1,2, with datasheets originally adapted from Cheshire et al.3. This document presents a revised (2021) version of MDMAP that was informed by field testing, data analyses, advancements in the field of marine debris monitoring, and partner feedback in the years following the initial publication.