In the remainder of this section, we present general methods for observing microplastics in marine and coastal environments. This includes information on the sampling design, equipment and materials required for collection and post-survey procedures for physical and chemical characterisation. More specialised methods are described in the water, sediment, biota and air sections.
Figure 1 below shows a quick guide that can be followed when designing sample collection for microplastics and what metrics to include to ensure data harmonisation and comparability. Additionally, we have included a checklist at the end of this section that should be used when collecting, processing, and reporting data on microplastics in coastal and marine environments.
Figure 1. A quick sampling design guide for collecting data on microplastic presence, amount and type, with the metrics required to achieve data harmonisation.