In Situ Sensors
Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR)
Developed by NOAA with different models launched in 1978, 1981and 1998 with the mission of remotely determining cloud cover and the surface temperature of water, land and cloud cover. Marine debris researchers commonly use the AVHRR data to examine sea surface temperature (SST) to locate ocean current convergence zones.
SeaWIFS (Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor)
Developed by NASA and deployed in 1997 with the mission of providing quantitative data on global ocean color properties. SeaWIFS data is commonly used to examine phytoplankton and chlorophyll, sediments, reflectance, organic and inorganic carbon and more. Many marine debris researchers utilize SeaWIFS data to find areas of high chlorophyll concentrations, which can indicate areas of potential floating debris due to their connection to sea surface temperature and the convergence zones of the oceans currents.
Marine Debris Sensing​
Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU)
The AMSU is a microwave instrument housed on satellites such as the ERS-2 (European Remote Sensing 2) and is used to examine water vapor, cloud cover, cloud properties and precipitation. Many marine debris researchers use this data to examine wind stress in order to better locate convergence zones in the ocean.
Raytheon ControlIR 2000b Thermal Camera
Thermal camera that can be mounted on UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems, planes or helicopters for the purpose of locating marine debris. The use of thermal imaging in this application is very limited, but can be useful for larger items that have a temperature contrast to the surrounding ocean.
UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) with RGB Video
UAVs such as drones equipped with RGB video (pictured left) are heavily utilized in the remote sensing of marine debris. Drones are used primarily to detect and record visual observations of floating debris in zones which are pre-determined to have an accumulation of debris. Pilots can fly UAVs from ships or from coastal points and either record RGB video data to be analyzed later, or, using a live feed from the camera, make visual observations during the mission.
Side Scanning Sonar
Side-scanning sonar, like the Klein 3900 unit pictured left are particularly useful in the remote sensing of bottom debris, or debris that have sunk to, or resides, at the ocean's floor. Items like large nets, fishing traps, and shipwrecks are all easily detectable through sonar systems mounted on ships.
Various Aircraft
Various aircraft platforms are heavily used for the visual observation of floating debris and for the use of thermal imaging where appropriate. Aircraft travel faster over the ocean then ships and can reach and survey accumulation zones much quicker, making them an obvious choice for the human observation of floating debris over boats.